The End
by Meister Fallon
Summary: The Beginning of the End is drawing near, and those who can't accept it won't survive. One world's devastation is another's salvation from itself, but for which side; the good tottering on the cliff's edge of darkness or the evil that's long been festering in its shadows? How will two girls leading very different lives manage to get out of hell alive to find the ones they love?
1. Prologue

**Hi, welcome to the horror story known as...The End 0.0 -insert creepy music here- **

**xD Anyhoo, this story was inspired after doing a rewatch of an anime that has to do with zombies, HotD, (but with a _lot_ less sensuality, trust me on that o-e) hence why some zombie and other actions might seem similar, but I have a feeling I'm going back to the earlier chapters to edit some of that to make it a bit more original after more have been released. I'm contemplating it at least. **

**As this is a story about surviving a zombie apocalypse, there is going to be quite a bit of gore and blood involved, so I'll try my best to keep it from going to far, but hey, I can't not write about it completely :/ **

**Another fair warning, I fully intend to keep out any of those sensuality shots that were present in the anime like I said before, but remember, it's the end of the world; there's bound to be several incidents involving women that seem a little... hormonal. And a few uncomfortable situations o.o' I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'd like to make it clear though that although I am not adding any kind of serious sexual assault, I won't deny there will be some gender bias during some of the chapters to make a point. It's not going to be a big plot point or anything huge or grandiose in the scheme of things, but it's still gonna happen. Eh, you know what some men are like, always wanting to be the head honcho or in charge all the time. Pssh :/ **

**But don't worry, gender bias goes both ways, so I'll be thinking of ways on how to make the men uncomfortable too :D**

The End

Prologue

Hot, burning smoke spiraled upwards towards the roiling red sky, dark gray ash lingering thick in the air. Bubbling lava roiled and heaved under the blackened ruins, molten rocks shooting in graceful arcs before landing with a soft plop. The ravaged world seemed empty and lifeless, devoid of everything except the leathery Draconians, wispy ghosts of warriors who had long since passed, and the never ending heat. Despite the harsh and unforgiving environment, life still survived, in the form of two figures patrolling the ruins.

"By Bartleby this place is hot." one of them complained, wiping the beads of sweat from his brow. "How can they stand this place?"

"Well, most of the Dragonspyrians _are_ ghosts." the other mused. "You'll get used to it Shadowpyre."

"Not soon enough Glowbright." the man named Shadowpyre chuckled, the pair turning towards the demolished Dragonspyre Academy. As they walked down the slope towards Ashley the Fire tree, Shadowpyre noticed a speck of red flying high above their heads.

"Isn't that the young Battledrake that carries students towards the Great Spyre?" he wondered. The woman turned her gaze skyward, blinking against the falling ash.

"By the Great Dragon Titan, it is. What's it doing? I know that's not the way towards…_his_ domain."

"Hey Battlethorn! What's with the Drake flying off?" Shadowpyre called out, noticing several figures heading their way towards them.

"Battlethorn, I'm talking to you!" he continued to shout. Glowbright was about to follow after him, when something very peculiar caught her eye.

It was the trees.

Shortly after Dragonspyre Academy, enchanted trees were planted much like the ones from Ravenwood. They were able to talk, to laugh, to interact with many of the students in the Academy. But soon after the Dragon Titan had conquered the land only two were left, the mysterious white Death tree and Ashley the Fire tree.

Now these last enchanted trees were fast asleep, her bright, fiery crown of ever burning leaves now dying to a dull orange, the tips of the white tree browning. Glowbright's mouth dropped open, the realization of the situation sinking in. She knew it could only mean one thing.

"Guys, what's wrong with you?" Shadowpyre demaned, taking a few more steps closer to them.

"GET AWAY FROM THEM!" Glowbright screeched, darting forward to yank him by the back of his armor.

"What are you doing?" he yelled, yanking himself free. He opened his mouth to say more, but the words died in his throat at the sight of his comrades as they finally stepped into the light.

Their skin had grayed considerably; not from fire, but from something else. Their clothes were torn and ragged, armor hanging off their shoulders. Hoarse moans sighed in their ears as they staggered closer. Their normally bright clear eyes had fogged over, sightless and blind.

"Run," Glowbright whispered, her eyes widening in shock. "_Go! _Get out of here!" she pushed Shadowpyre towards the entrance to the Basilica. The pair turned to sprint back up the slope to the portal, but as they took their few steps, their former soldier, Battlethorn, grabbed Shadowpyre by the arm, ready to sink his teeth into him. Shouting, he struggled to pull his arm free of their grasp.

With a squelching sound, blood sprayed the side of Shadowpyre's face as Battlethorn's arm rolled several feet away.

"Let's go." Glowbright ordered, dragging him away by the arm.

Frantically, the two of them burst into a sprint and made a mad dash for the portal. Soon, more decaying soldiers staggered out of the shadows, moans filling the air as they reached out to grab the pair as they ran. After shaking his head to clear it, Shadowpyre pulled out his own sword and swung it at every monster that came near them.

"Just remember your training," she called out to him, cutting down another soldier in her path. He simply nodded, whether through fear or fear of spewing all over the ground. The two continued to slice their way through the mass, ducking under arms and leaping over the falling bodies as they fell.

"C'mon, we're almost ther-" Shadowpyre called over his shoulder, but skidded to a stop when he noticed graying hands reach for Glowbright's shoulders. They latched onto her and began pulling her back down towards the Academy.

"Glowbright!" he screamed, turning back to run after her.

"Keep running you idiot! Someone has to warn the Comma-!" she shouted, the rest of her words drowning in a shrill scream as she was buried under the piling bodies.

Swallowing the bile back down his throat, he shivered and stumbled backwards a couple of paces before bursting into a sprint.

_I'm sorry Glowbright, _he thought. Tears sprang to the corners of his eyes as he leapt through the portal and into the Basilica.

The only problem was that he forgot to close the portal behind him.


	2. Chapter 1

The End

Chapter one: The Beginning of the End

June 5th, 2012.

11:54 am. Day 1

"Amber! Hey Amber, wake up already!" my sister shouted, pulling the blankets off of me.

"Go away," I moaned, yanking the blue and gold-patterned blankets free from her grasp. For the next five minutes, she continued to shake me in a vain attempt to get me out of bed.

"I think you might have to really give it to her Jazz," a soft, smooth-accented purr suggested from the other side of the room. Next thing I know, something extremely wet was being forced down my ear.

"AAAAAAAHHHHH! JASMINE!" I shouted, bolting upright with my hands clamped around my right ear.

"You should've gotten up when I told you to then," she smirked. "Now hurry up and get dressed, it's almost noon."

"All right, all right…"I growled, dragging myself out of bed and into the bathroom.

"Good morning." Nalia Dunestrider greeted me as I headed to the sink, barely glancing up from polishing her sword.

"It is not a good morning," I replied grumpily, squirting toothpaste onto my toothbrush.

Twenty minutes later Jazz and I were clad in our Pigswick uniforms and walking down towards the market, rolling up our sleeves and relishing the release from homework, even if it was only temporary.

"Didn't you say you needed new shoes Amby?" my twin asked as I passed the Shoe shop.

"Yeah, but I think my homework assignment for Fuligin is a lot more important right now," I replied, striding into the Spirit school.

Like any school based off Death, this one was dark and full of shadowy corners. Long, black bramble vines as thick as my arm intertwined with each other to support the ceiling of the school, the white rose buds that had been artfully, and magically, glued onto it let their sweet scented perfume drift across the room. There weren't that many students there besides a couple in detention and a few handing in their essays like me.

"Is something wrong professor?" I asked as I handed her the parchment. She just took mine without saying a word. Now I _know_ something is wrong.

"Hello? Professor Fuligin?" I asked again, and this time she appeared to have heard me.

"Hmm? What else do you want?" she snapped, blinking a couple of times as she broke out of her reverie.

"Just wondering what's wrong." I mumbled, trying to hide a grin as she fell back into her usual crabbiness. I turned and almost ran out the door as she told me to get lost.

It was when I was running past the blocked entrance to Tanglewood Way when I felt it. That strange, tingling sensation snaking up my spine and crawling into my lungs, freezing them up. I skidded to a halt, my breath catching in my throat as I barely noticed a small, slight figure stumble out of the crack in the wall that served as an entrance to Tanglewood Way out of the corner of my eye.

"You there! Tanglewood Way is supposed to be off-limits." one of the guards called out as he approached. From the brief glance of sunlight through the clouds, I noticed it was Eloise Clockgarden, one of the students here. My eyes widened in shock as I realized exactly why I had frozen to the spot, and it was playing out right before them.

She didn't seem quite right as she tottered into the sunlight. Her gray skin was more darker, and her eyes were blank, white, sightless. Before I could call out a warning to the guards, who were only inches away from her now, she lurched forward and sank her teeth into his arm.

Several other people had noticed the commotion as he tried to shake her off, screaming, but as the guard fell to his knees I had managed to force my numb legs to move away from the situation, breaking into a sprint as I noticed several others emerge from the crack in the wall.

"Jazz! Jazz, where are you?!" I called out as I weaved my way between the crowd. I finally glimpsed the top of her blonde head bobbing through the crowd as she heard my cries.

"What's wr-" she started, but her question turned into a squeal as I slowed down long enough to grab her hand before running again.

"Amber? What's going on?!" she wailed, struggling to keep up. I slowed my frantic run to a halt, skidding into an alley and checking it was empty before even attempting to explain what I just saw.

"We need to get out of here," I whispered, leaning in close in case someone was hidden.

"Did Fuligin chew you out that badly?" she joked, trying to hide her confusion.

"It's not that." I quickly explained what I had seen in a low voice. "We have to go."

"Go? Go _where_ exactly? Can't we just contact the Head guard?" she inquired, but before she could say anything more, my worst fears were confirmed. Screams of terror and pain rose from the streets as the sirens started to blare and with each passing moment, they were getting closer.

"What's going on?" Jazz wailed again, but I was too horrified to answer. Smoke was beginning to rise from parts of the academy as I pulled my sister down the alley, bursting into a crowded street.

Bile rose in my throat as I stumbled to a halt. Jazz and I were quickly pushed back to the mouth of the alley as a mad rush of people ran past, rattling moans mixed into the din of screams and crashes. More of _them_ had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and fell to on the ones who couldn't escape their grasp. The moments seemed to stretch on for eternity and it seemed like the only things I could hear was the sound of ripping flesh, the crunch of bones, and the piercing screams of those who couldn't even be put to death before they were feasted on.

Now it was my sister's turn to grab me by the collar and pull me back as one of the undead stumbled forward to us. She continued down the alleyway before suddenly coming to a stop and yanking open a side door that led into one of the shops.

"What were those things?" Jazz whispered several moments later as she fumbled in her pockets for her inhaler.

"Gee, what kind of creature comes back to life after they die and starts eating people?" I snapped, leaning my palms against my knees as I regained my breath. "No wait, forget I said that. Sorry." I added quickly as tears started to well up in her eyes. Before she could say anything in return, several thumps of someone banging their fists frantically against the back door startled the both of us, sending us into a panic as yet more screams followed.

"Let's keep moving." I said. Jazz followed close behind me as I found a path through the mass of crates and boxes to the front of the shop, which turned out to be the Jewelry shop that sold amulets and rings. More noise was added to the din as several people, or perhaps I should say idiots, were ransacking the shelves on the first floor as the undead found their way in.

"Maybe we could barricade ourselves on the third floor?" my sister whispered hurriedly into my ear. My reply was cut off as several shouts floated up the stairs, and they weren't the only thing that was coming up here. Two of the looters were trying to escape the horde, but as one of them fell into the bloodied arms of the undead, the other had made it up the stairs with a raucous laugh and promptly decided we were to be his bodyguards.

"You idiot, what the heck do you think you're doing!?" I screeched, elbowing him in the gut as hard as I could before grabbing Jazz's arm as she lost her footing on the first step. But the damage was already done. As the looter scampered away into the door we had just left, the racket he made while climbing the steps, crying out in pain as he fell, and my screech was enough to draw the other's attention to us, and by the looks of how many zombies were vying for a spot on the stairs, one man wouldn't be enough to satiate their hunger.

June 5th, 2012

6:30 am. Day 1

"_There's got to be some kind of mistake," I whispered, my body shivering worse than ever. "Y-you said-" _

"_I know what I said. We tried, but..." his voice trailed off as he was at a loss for words, his somewhat watery brown eyes showing the same disappointment and angry confusion as mine surely were. _

"_But what?! You said it was foolproof! You said you had a solid defense! How the heck could this have happened?" I screeched. I wasn't angry at him. He was practically the only person on my side after all. But I've had enough. All the anger and frustration and tears I'd been holding back were flowing freely, so much so I could hardly hear the judge's next words: _

"Yo, wake up already!"

…_What? That couldn't be right… _

"I said…wake up!" this time a sharp poke in the side of my head accompanied it, causing me to snap out of my daydream.

"Hello in there? You spaced out again." Izzy laughed, gulping down the last of her milk.

"Oh..." I mumbled. "Guess that's to be expected here."

"Maybe you _are_ going crazy." she giggled, poking me in the arm to show that she didn't mean it.

"I am not." I retorted, "I just like to daydream," She just laughed before leaving her bowl in the stack before prancing out of the room. Lucky her. I sighed heavily and prodded the contents of my own bowl around while staring wistfully around the locked room, filled with other people chowing down their breakfast.

"If you're not gonna eat, then get up and leave." one of my Marleybonian guards said gruffly as he loomed over me. I just stuck my tongue out at him before turning my chair away rebelliously. Of course I got the typical response: a smack across the face and two vice like grips on my arms that carried me back to my "room".

"I thought I told you I wouldn't take any of your lip anymore." the doberman snarled, tapping his club against the palm of his hand.

"Of course you did. But since when do I listen to people like you, who can't even take on a little kid with his bare hands?" I grinned wryly, the familiar adrenaline rush from defying authority bringing some life back into me.

"You little-" he raised his club, flicking his wrist slightly so the dulled spikes on the end were activated.

"Is something wrong here?" Izzy asked cheerfully as she popped out of nowhere, startling us both.

"Err…well I was-" but Izzy, aka Isabella, cut him off with a sweet and dangerous smile.

"Oh? Doling out more punishments without my authorization? Ohh, that will never do," she tsk-tsked, calmly taking the baton from his grasp. "Well, it looks like someone might need a refresher course as to who's in charge here. I can gladly give you another debriefing in the faculty room."

"Uh, no that…won't be necessary. Sorry to bother you." he stammered, backing out of the room as she widened her grin.

"Well that was…interesting," I remarked. "Thanks."

"Nah, that was just business as usual." Izzy replied. "Try to get some rest before they call you in for work." she added as she left the room. I sighed and pulled my sneakers off before plopping onto my small bed, staring up at the bland gray ceiling while listening to the clock on the wall tick by steadily. My eyelids seemed to be getting heavier and heavier, and my jaws split in an enormous yawn.

_My body froze the instant the twelve fur clad Marleybonians filed into the room. Somehow I knew what they were going to say before they even said it. But how- _

The lights above my head started to flicker. Outside, I heard the heavy footsteps of one of the guards patrolling the corridor.

"_Y-you said…" _

"Oy, get up already! Don't think you get to lay down just ye-" someone broke off, but a crackle of static and a hurried voice cut him off. He left the room in a flurry of footsteps.

"_We the jury find the defendant guilty of all charges…" _

Several loud noises from the floor above emanated down through the vents, accompanied by several shrieks. But those were common here….

"_How the heck could this have happened?!" I screeched, and before I knew it I was being forced to my feet and my hands handcuffed behind my back. I was too busy screaming to hear most of the judge's words, but the same three always rang clearly through my dreams…next thing I know, I'm being forced out of the courtroom and into a squad car to be taken back, but not before I saw a glimpse of a dark figure sitting in the back row. Watching. Smirking. Wreathed in a scent that seemed so familiar, yet I couldn't place a name to it. More screams tore from my throat as I was being carried out now, my trashing legs kicking anything within reach. _

And then a loud, drawn out wail snapped my eyes wide open. The lamplights above were flickering even more now, even going out all together for a few seconds. But there was enough illumination for me to see that the door had been left open.

"Wha…" I whispered to myself, slowly sitting up and pulling my shoes back on. I got up and walked as quietly as I could towards the door and peered out.

Most of the hallway was lit, but one end was in shadows. The unusual silence disturbed me, especially since hardly any of the patients here were quiet for very long.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" I called out softly as I turned to follow the lit end of the corridor, bracing myself for someone to pop out. After following a couple more hallways and up several small staircases that led towards the main building, I finally came across the first signs of life as I turned the corner. At least I thought they were.

I opened my mouth to say something, but stopped when I noticed someone. The person was Marleybonian who went by the name of Anne, a Labrador. But something about her seemed off. Very off. As she stepped into the light, my face froze into a mask of horror as I saw what was wrong.

Her fur was usually short, but by the looks of the creamy white fur mixed in with the blood on her torn uniform, nearly all of it had fallen, or was torn, off. Her skin had darkened to a stormy gray, her head held at an awkward angle, jaw gaping, from which a deathly cold rattle blew out. The kind of death rattle that a dying person would make when struggling for their last breath.

_Don't scream! _A voice in the back of my head warned. But I doubt I would be able to do anything but stare as she staggered slowly towards me.

_Move move move move! _I screamed inwardly, but it seemed like my feet were glued to the floor. It was when she was mere inches away from me when I realized that she couldn't see. She continued to move down the hallway, often banging into the wall while she went, but not before I could see that her eyes were milky white. Somehow that encouraged me to lift up my feet and head towards the main stairwell, but before I could get very far, I noticed more people heading my way. And by the looks and sounds of which they moved, they were in the same condition as Anne was.

I bolted down a different hallway, more dimly lit than the others. My terror was about to break through, and I didn't want to be around any of those creatures when it did. As I pounded down the corridor and several steps, I began to notice the wide crimson bloodstains on the walls, the floors, even some on the ceiling. I shuddered at the thought of what brute force had to make blood splatter that far and wide on a ceiling nine feet above my head. My shoes skidded in a patch of blood as I turned to avoid more of the former patients who had become…whatever was attacking the place, but I didn't get very far before I tripped over something. Something strangely soft yet very solid. Something that was making chewing sounds.

I couldn't hold the terror back anymore. The loudest scream that I ever shrieked tore it self from my throat, almost breaking my voice as I took in every gory detail of the mess I had landed in. I continued to scream as I scrambled to my feet before the hand could latch onto me and I continued to scream as I raced frantically down the hallways. It was only when my voice finally _did_ break that I stopped. Now that I was able to concentrate on where I was, I realized I was alone. Alone and in the worst part of the institution someone could possibly end up with strange things coming after you.

"Solitary confinement." I whispered as I read the sign handing from the pole on the wall.

At some point during their stay, every single person inside this building have heard rumors and stories about solitary confinement, and the people who lived down here. Starting from the next floor, it was built underground so that no sunlight would ever permeate this part of the building. Many people believed that "solitary confinement" was the name given to cover up the real intention of what would befall those who lived in those rooms-torture. Drains that connected almost instantly to the sewer line were placed several meters apart on the floor, to drain away escaped fluids where no evidence could ever be found. Since the insides of the padded cells weren't cleaned very frequently, the open drains only added to the horrible smell.

My first instinct was to run back the way I had come, but my cries didn't go unheard, and now several of _them_ were only a corridor away from my location. I didn't have a choice but to move forward.

I stepped as quietly as I could, my ice blue eyes wide open to spot anything that moved. Once or twice I almost thought I saw someone moving in the shadows, but I couldn't be sure. My spirits plummeted when I rounded the corner to find a dead end.

"No…no way." I cried quietly, tears starting to pour down my face, but I wasn't given much time to look for another way out. At that moment, two strong hands had clamped themselves over my mouth and around my waist, pulling back into the shadows.


	3. Chapter 2

The End

Chapter Two

June 5th, 2012

12:15 pm. Day 1 cont.

Something golden whizzed by my ear, and it took me a second or two to realize it was an arrow, now planted firmly in the zombie's forehead. Two more were already flying through the air as the body toppled down the stairs and hitting their targets with deadly accuracy. The shooter was a blue-haired teenager, someone I recognized by sight in Tempest class.

"If you want to live, I suggest you get on the other side of that door before I shut it." she ordered as she loaded another two lightening arrows in her dark violet bow. By the look in her harsh golden eyes, I knew she meant it, so Jazz and I rushed towards the third floor stairwell, with our savior shooting off more arrows as she ran behind us.

"Help me move this desk." she ordered, spotting the heavy wooden desks that were dotted around the room. Jazz and I moved several of the desks into place while Mystery Girl kept them at bay, even throwing her weight at the door when it threatened to collapse under the weight of the bodies on the outside. Finally, with a lot more shoving and maneuvering, at least five of the desks were shoved as securely as they could be against the door, with chairs, heavy books, and whatever else that was heavy stacked haphazardly around and on them.

"Thanks for saving us," Jazz gasped as she slid against the wall. But her relief didn't last long when she turned and aimed her bow at her.

"What the heck do you think you're doing!?" I cried out, scrambling in a mad rush to my feet and throwing myself in front of my little sister.

"Have either of you two been bitten by one of them?" she asked harshly, her eyes cold and unfazed.

"Bitten? Why, what-"

"Have either of you been bitten!?" she demanded, taking a few steps closer.

"Of course not!" Jazz and I yell at the same time. "Why, what does that have to do with anything?" I added. After several silent seconds that stretched for eternity, the tip of her crackling arrow drooped to the floor.

"Sorry, but I wasn't exactly sure if you were telling the truth." she replied, then rolled her eyes. "Haven't either of you ever seen a zombie invasion movie? You get bit, you turn into one of them. I've seen it with my own eyes." her gaze darkened, and she turned away from us to sit on some cardboard boxes. "It looks like the door will hold for now."

"You guys got a name?" she asked after a couple of tense minutes. "I'm Emmaline. Emmaline Windflower."

"Amber Nightwraith. And this is my little sister, Jasmine Goldenflower." I replied.

"Jazz." she quietly corrected. She paused. "Were you really serious about…about those people?"

"You got a better explanation as to why people are starting to eat each other?" Emmaline snapped. "Do you really think any sane person could do this?" she strode towards the window and threw aside the curtain. Jazz and I glanced at each other before getting up slowly and following her.

Things had gotten worse during the short trip from the alley to the third floor. Cars imported from Marleybone were crashing head on with each other and into buildings, setting the fires that were dotted haphazardly throughout the buildings. Thick clouds of ashy black smoke rose in columns all around us, mingling with the pale pink ivy petals that still floated through the air as the blood started to flow in earnest.

"Why aren't the guards doing anything about this?" Jazz whispered, mortified.

"And just what do you expect them to do?" Em snapped. "Have you not _seen_ what's going on?"

"That's enough." I interrupted, throwing my arm around Jazz as her face turned ashen. But before any of us could say anything more, a loud burst of static from the fancy radio on the fireplace mantle made us all jump.

"It's coming from the radio!" Jasmine cried out, dashing across the room and twiddling with the controls. More static and bursts of conversation filled the room until we heard the Headmistress's voice.

"…dents and campus workers are to report to either the Library or the Tournament Hall. I repeat, all students and campus workers are to report to either the Library or the Tournament Hall for evacuation to Ravenwood. It's recommended that any citizens who are not able to evacuate by other means are to stay in their homes and remained armed against intruders. This is a Level One emergency broadcast to all students of Pigswick Academy. All students and campus workers….." the message continued to repeat.

The three of us stared at the radio as it continued to pass on the message.

"I think we better leave." I whispered. Emmaline was already checking the windows while Jazz darted up the small flight of stairs to the attic.

"I think we can get out through here." she called down. Dust spiraled upwards in the air as Em and I followed her path upstairs and to the attic window, which had a fire escape clinging to the side of the shop.

"If we can get across the street and between those two buildings, we should come out on the street opposite of the Library." Jazz muttered.

"You guys got any weapons on hand?" Emmaline asked as she twanged the string on her bow.

"Well, Amber does, but I left my backpack in our dorm room." Jazz replied.

"I suggest you use it." she said, swinging herself out onto the escape.

It was a good thing we left when we did. The banging and rattling against the door had grown louder with each passing minute, and as we were almost halfway down, the desks were screeching across the room inch by inch.

Thankfully, the store was of no consequence to us anymore. But the street wasn't any better as we crossed, ducking under outstretched arms and dodging around slippery patches of blood and organs.

"Aim for the head!" Emmaline called out as she loaded another arrow and fired it off as we reached the mouth of another alley. More of them were gaining on us, so I didn't really see another choice but to finally pull out the Soulsword in my possession and swing it at the nearest dead body that moved towards me.

It wasn't a clean cut, but the feel of the blade sinking into flesh was enough to cover me head to toe in goosebumps, sending my stomach roiling and foul bile into my throat. But it was enough, so I stepped over the body as I followed Emmaline through the streets. As much as I hated it deep down, it didn't take long for me to forget my qualms about killing, and neither would you if one of those things came after your baby sister. I hardly thought about it as the golden, glowing blade sliced through one of the zombies that had grabbed her blonde hair before finding its way into another, staining the once pure blade with flecks of blood.

I whirled around, prepared to strike down another, but a shriek ripped from my throat stopped me in my tracks with it mere inches away from me. Its rancid and salty breath rattled over me with its death moan. Time almost seemed to stop as I stared into the dead, filmy eyes before the tip of a curved sword poked from his forehead.

"Looks like you could use a little help." Nalia purred as she whipped around to strike another zombie. Other than slightly ripped and bloodstained clothing, she looked to be in good health - and unbitten.

"It's not much farther to the Library, keep going!" a strong, calm voice commanded, pushing my shoulder to get me moving. The voice belonged to a bull, obviously an exchange student from Mooshu that I knew more from sight than name. My tennis shoes slapped against the pavement as I was spurred into motion again, with Jazz right behind me and Nalia clearing a path for us as we skimmed between the road and sidewalk. Suddenly, Nalia veered off towards the right and around the corner of a building, so fast I actually lost sight of her for a moment.

"Nalia, where'd you g-" I started as I rounded the corner, almost bumping straight into her as she skidded to a stop. She held up a hand to silence me before pointing towards the main street. The sight that I saw devastated me even more than the initial wave of undead that we just escaped from.

Several of the stone barricades blocking the entrance to the library were cracked and lay on their side. The bright blue magical barrier that should've been in place around the facility flickered feebly but did nothing to stop the dead as several of them staggered into the library, the chilling screams that rose eerily between the doors hanging off their hinges enough to warn us away.

"Now where are we gonna go?" Jazz asked as she took a deep breath from her inhaler.

"I think it would be best if we find somewhere safe so we can take a break." Nalia offered, "Do you know anywhere we can stay?"

"Uhhh….." I muttered, fighting the rising panic in my chest. "Well, there is this apartment complex on Cherry boulevard we were going to move into next week. It's on the last floor, so I think that would work."

"It'll have to do." she replied, gazing at the nearby street signs to gain her bearings. "Let's go." She turned to follow down a side street, leaving us to follow her at a fast pace. The five of us ran full tilt down a steep slope towards the back of the Library, the road mercifully clear except for a few that emerged from side roads. Emmaline and Nalia quickly dealt with them as we crashed to a stop behind the corner of another shop, checking the boulevard before we made our way to the apartments just within sight.

"See that gate over there?" I nodded towards the sturdy, wrought-iron gate only twenty yards down the street. The bull acknowledged me with a returned nod, softly calling to the two girls before leading the way down the sidewalk, keeping low and to the side of the buildings. But before we could get far, something extremely strong clamped onto my ankle as I leaped over a pile of garbage, sending me flying. With a loud cry of pain, I ended up landing straight on my nose and scraping my chin and knees in the process. The gasp of pain quickly turned into a bloodcurdling scream when I turned to see what had tripped me. What was left of professor Burble, the Frost teacher, had reached out to grab me when I passed by, dark blood and chunks of flesh adding to the drool that usually hung from his mouth. Large rivulets of blood were staining the cobblestones, and my shoes, a bright scarlet against white from the enormous wound in his midsection. At least, from what was left of it. I kicked my legs off the ground to get away, but my progress was hampered by the entrails leaking from his front half of his body.

Everybody rushed forward as soon as I screamed, but Burble's mouth was a lot closer. I squeezed my eyes shut to avoid seeing the upcoming bloodbath as he turned his body around and grazed my ankle with his rotten teeth.

June 5th, 2012

7 am. Day 1 cont.

A shrill scream split from my throat as I was dragged backwards, arms flailing for something to tear myself free.

"Maybe," a voice whispered close to my ear, so close I could feel a pair of lips brushing against my ear. "You should think about using your inside voice." A _thunk! _told me a heavy door was slammed shut, trapping me in a dimly lit room.

"What do you want?" I whispered once the hand over my mouth shifted slightly.

"Can't a guy save a damsel in distress without being questioned?" he chuckled, releasing his grip on me. I whirled around to see a…_patient_ of solitary confinement, dressed in the usual white uniform everyone here wears and a grin on his bruised face. The two of us stared for a few seconds before I gathered the courage to say something.

"That's not an answer." I retorted.

"As much as I'd love to sit here and chat, we've got company coming, thanks to your invite. Unless you want to stay here…" he moved towards the opposite wall from the door as he spoke, and that was when I noticed the room wasn't empty. The only things here besides us was a small cot, a dirty white straight jacket, and a huddled figure slumped against the wall to the right.

"What happened?" I asked, alarm flaring in me as I noticed the blank eyes staring at me. Thankfully this one didn't move.

"I was having a nice…talk with my guard when he noticed the dead attacking next door, and foolishly decided to walk out." he replied, pulling a section of the whitewashed wall off as he spoke, revealing an air vent. "You coming?"

I blinked a couple times, and for the first time noticing the dark red stain spread across the back of his shirt in the light of the greasy lightbulb, and the whip that was tossed aside into a corner. I shivered slightly, and I realized I wasn't sure if his story was true or not. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed something else as well; a clipboard attached to the end of his bed.

"Why should I trust you? Aren't you like the other people down here?" I spluttered, backing away. But he just shrugged, crouching down to crawl through the ducts.

"Suit yourself. Oh, I have a feeling you're going to need this." he added, tossing me something black before scooching into the vent. My blood froze as I caught it, almost dropping it in an instant when I realized it was a handgun from the dead guard, fully loaded and the safety off. I frowned at it for a minute, pondering my options as several thumps on the thick door told me they had finally reached the end of the hall.

_So I can either deal with someone dead or someone crazy. _I thought, biting my thumbnail as I glanced between the door and the hole in the wall. _Not very good options. _

More out of my morbid curiosity than anything, I turned to the small, three inch gap in the door that was used down in confinement. It was difficult to see through with the light, but the ever present gasps and rattling breaths filled the room as I saw more of them staggering down the stairs, crowding against the doors and even pulling their own down and sinking their teeth into them as they realized fresh meat was nearby. I looked down at the gun the guy had handed me and pulled open the chamber. Only six bullets.

"I am so going to regret this." I muttered to myself, before falling to my hands and knees as I rushed towards the air duct. I was halfway in when I remembered the clipboard on his bed. The light wasn't very bright, but it was enough for me to read what it had to tell. The hard knot in my stomach grew even tighter as I tore several sheets off, folding them up carefully before stuffing it in the only place that could hold it. Our uniforms didn't come with pockets. The papers rubbed uncomfortably against the softer part of my chest as I knelt down again and crawled forward on my hands and knees.

Even though he was obviously malnourished and therefore smaller than the average man, it must've been a tight squeeze since I almost bumped into him just a mere eight feet down the vent.

"Nice to see you again." he grunted as he shuffled around a corner.

"Whatever." I grumbled. "Do you know where these vents lead?"

"Just a general idea. I know this way leads to a side corridor that connects to the main hallway. After that you're as free a bird."

"Yeah…until I get eaten." I grumbled.

He just chuckled. "You got a name?"

"It's Fallon."

"Just Fallon?"

"I don't like giving my last name to strangers. What's yours?" I replied tartly, scooting as quietly as I could over a shaky grate.

"Logan."

"_Just_ Logan?" I couldn't help but smile a little.

"Yeah, my mum didn't love me enough to give me a last name when I was born." Logan said.

"Wait a minute." I hissed suddenly, squirming around to peer out of the rusty grate. "I think there's someone down the-AAAHHH!" a loud squeal cut off my words as a loud bang echoed from the room below, quickly followed by two more and several curses.

"That's Izzy!" I whispered, recognizing the pink hair that flashed into view.

"So? Let's move before her gunshots attract every undead in the city." said Logan, sliding forward down the shaft.

"We can't just leave her here!" I hissed, fingers scrabbling at the grate to remove it.

"She's one of _them_ Fallon, those psychotic workers who enjoy torturing people. She's getting what she deserves."

"That's not true!" I wailed, but he was already scooting off. Anger boiled in my veins at his non-chalantness, but with another glance into the room below, there wasn't exactly time to chew him out. I took a deep breath, steeling my nerves before my feet pounded into the grate and straight onto the head of the zombie underneath it. I winced at the crack of his spine as I fell, the gun almost slipping out of my hand as I made a spectacular faceplant on the floor.

"Ouch." I mumbled.

"_Fallon? _What are you doing here?" Isabella gaped at me as I pulled myself up, just beyond the reach of a zombie as it lurched forward.

"Shoot first, talk later." I growled, tossing her an extra mag, even though I had no idea what kind, as I backed up against the wall next to her and took aim. But apparently they were the same kind, because she loaded up her gun again and began shooting once more.

More of _them _had been attracted by the noise by now, their eerie moans filling my ears and threatening to block out the words Izzy was saying alongside her gunshots. My stomach twinged as my finger found the trigger and buried a bullet into a zombie's forehead, turning to another as the roiling in my stomach peaked.

"Thought you weren't coming?" I called to Logan as he jumped down from the vent and picked his way across the room to shut the door.

"Pffft. Like you guys would get out of this building alive without me." he replied as he leaned against the door, trying to elbow away a couple of arms that still reached through the steel door. After a few tense minutes of struggling and more bullets, he finally latched the door shut and leaned against it, panting slightly.

"Hi, how ya doing?" Logan nodded towards Isabella. "Lovely weather we're having."

"How did you guys get in here?" she asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"The air vent. I think we can find a way out of the building through them." I replied, plopping down into nearby chair. "How are you holding up?"

"Fine I think. I was down in ward nineteen when this all started, trying to find a way out of here before I got cornered." Izzy said, uncapping a small water bottle from her pocket and handing it to me. "You guys headed to the storage room too?"

"The what?" I inquired.

"The storage room. It's where they hold all the patients belongings after they're brought in. You might be able to find your own stuff there, along with some more weapons."

"Can we move and talk? I don't like how that door's holding up. These weren't made to be bomb-shelter standard you know." Logan piped up, casting a glance at the steel frame before dragging the end of the oak table under the vent. "Here, let me help you get up ther-" but he was cut off by Izzy climbing onto the table and hauling herself into the duct in one fluid motion.

"Oh no, let _me_." she said, grinning slightly in spite of her distrust as she offered her hand.

A loud crash distracted me as I hauled myself up, staunching the flow of blood from my nose with one hand. The window in the door had broken in, already bloody hands cut by the shards of glass as they reached for me.

"Fallon." I turned back to see Logan reaching down to offer me his hand, the same slightly bemused expression on his face.

"Let's go already."


	4. Chapter 3

The End

Chapter Three

June 5th, 2012

3:37 pm. Day 1 cont.

Wails floated through the crack in the window as blood painted a deathly crimson scene in our courtyard as more wizards ran through the streets, banging on doors and windows as a large mass of corpses made their way up the staircase, cornering several wizards as more crashed through the doors of the refuges they were desperate to find. With my insides churning again, I had to get up and shut the window and draw the curtains as they fell to the ground with zombies tearing through their flesh and organs like they'd been starved to the brink of death. No pun intended.

A minute later I had straightened up from my seat on the window bench to shut the glass pane and yank the dusty maroon curtains over it, blocking the horrific sight before rubbing the chafed skin around my red wrist, connecting me to the nearby chair. I turned to Nalia and Kisai to see if they would release me yet, but my voice was still hadn't returned to my throat and they had their backs turned to me, whispering amongst the two of them. Instead, I had to contend with gazing around our apartment living room, taking in the blue fabric of the sofa and chairs, the wide scarlet stain slowly dripping down the opposite wall, and the blonde hair of my sister shaking as she gripped her knees to her chest as she rocked back and forth just under my seat next to a bucket that had been placed there for both our benefits.

I softly nudged her with my foot to see if she would untie me, but there was no response. Her emerald eyes were still wide with fear and disbelief, unfocused and teared up. Clearly, the shock of seeing the gory events unfold down on the sidewalk still hadn't worn off.

I couldn't help but scream and squirm as the former professor of Frost closed his bloody jaws around my ankle. With me on an adrenaline rush of fear, I was able to kick my foot out of his mouth, but he still maintained a hard grip on my leg. Jazz was by my side in a heartbeat, pulling on a part of my hair as she frantically grabbed my arm to pull me away. Emmaline was keeping watch on the zombies that were now stumbling out way while Kisai and Nalia slashed at Burble, slicing off the arm that held me neatly while Nalia plunged one of her swords into his neck, spraying my lower body with blood.

"Hurry up, you're drawing attention," Em called out as more zombies were scrambling up the nearby staircase. But my body wouldn't move, it felt like I was frozen to the ground as the blood started to run. And from the horrified expression on my sister's face, I wasn't the only one who felt like that.

"How are you two doing?" a meow inquired softly beside me as Nalia approached, breaking me out of my memory. I merely nodded towards Jazz, my mind still working on what to say.

"Here." the white cat purred, pulling a small penknife and cutting the bonds tied me down. "If the skin was broken, I'm quite sure you would've turned by now."

"Thanks." I whispered, tossing the rope behind the chair and kneeling next to Jazz.

"Is she alright?"

I nodded, realizing that she had tucked her head under her arms. "I think so." Nalia just nodded curtly before padding wearily around to the warm cherry wood door that was blocked off by our fridge, one item among many to keep any undead out of our room. I sighed quietly, pulling myself up before shuffling over to the counter and grabbing a water bottle to calm my stomach, still slightly cool from its time in the fridge before they unplugged it.

"I've also been trying to reach some people through the Whispering Network, but I haven't heard or seen a thing aside from jumbled words and shouts," she continued. "Some of them even as far as Mooshu from the way they echoed."

Curiously, I turned my head slightly to tune into the Network as I walked back to my sister, listening too intently to hear a news report about the conditions in Wizard City on a channel not yet claimed by static. Sure enough, the voices of many different people were jumbled together in a loud mess, some almost as clear as if they were standing right next to me and others as distant and echoey as if they were on a completely different world. Men, women, even children were shouting, screaming, praying, and calling out to people they loved so loudly and consistently my head was beginning to ache from the din. I shook the voices away, breaking off from the WN just in time to grab onto the curtains as Emmaline barged past me in a whirlwind of alarm.

"What did they say?" she asked sharply, her tawny eyes glued to the tiny screen as familiar London-like scenery flashed by, alarm seeping out of her every pore.

We continued to listen in silence as a reporter, a wizard we knew as Boris Tallstaff, was giving an update on what was happening inside Marleybone's main city.

Despite the police's best efforts, more of the zombies were spreading across the worlds at an alarming rate. The government was heading into a state of total chaos and wasn't fast enough to place a no-fly zone around any areas at all, giving whatever was causing this unrestricted access to any area people fled to. Jazz crawled up the couch and was leaning against the back of it to watch as a brief interruption halted his report, bursting into a waiting screen that held the Scotland Yard seal before Boris reappeared unharmed but shaken, accompanied by the growls of a balloon car engine.

"Sorry about that folks, but the situation was too dire to remain on the ground any longer. As I was saying, several disaster shelters have been set up in the vicinity of…" he gulped, sweat beading on his brow as he bravely plowed on.

"Umm, can you move?" Jazz whispered as Emmaline scooted closer to the tv as the news changed from the epidemic in Marleybone to the conditions in Celestia and Grizzleheim. Instead, she seemed to have a hard time moving at all, a grim expression playing out on her face as her knuckles turned white from gripping the edges of the tv.

"Em? What's wrong?" inquired Kisai, but she just grimaced and shook her head slightly before marching into my bedroom, emerging several moments later with one of my extra backpacks and tossing it to me.

"Start packing. Find some clothes, blankets, and maybe some toothbrushes or something, but just start. We're getting to that Tourney Hall if it's the last thing we do." she continued to mutter under her breath, eyes glaring, as she searched our hallway closet and pulled out a large camping backpack, shoving it into Jazz's hands. "Here, fill this up with water and canned food that can last. If it doesn't have an enlargement spell on it, cast one. We're gonna need those.

Nalia, do you think you could help me scout a route to the Hall from the roof?" she continued, only pausing to pull the locks off the window latch before crawling out onto the fire escape. The four of us shot questioning looks at each other before moving off stiffly, but otherwise didn't question her. Her sharp words brought a welcome break in the gloom that quickly settled over us, making me shake my head slightly before turning into my room and emptying out the nearest dresser, grabbing our robes, cloaks, pajamas, and even some regular Earth clothes before opening the closet for more. Thanks to a special charm, there was enough space left in the cavernous backpack for me to shove a couple of photo albums and picture frames among the messy folds of cloth.

"Hush Luna." I quieted the bundle of dusky black fur as it let out strangled cries from being buried in clothes. "I'll let you out soon."

The sound of scrapes brought me back into the dining room, where Kisai and to my surprise, Jazz, were whispering to one another as they moved the furniture away from the door.

"Whoa, what're you guys doing? Aren't the undead heading into the building?" my eyes widened in surprise.

"Miss Goldenflower told me there's some more medical supplies in the room down the hall. We can't just leave them there when we're going to need all the help we can get." Kisai explained, quickly pulling out our room key and unlocking the door. "While those two are scouting out there, we're going to try to collect all that we can in that storage closet. You can keep an eye on the stairs over there and call out to us if any get up here. We'll know it's time to go."

"But…there's another stairwell nearby, what if they appear from over there and you don't know?" I stammered.

"Kisai is keeping a lookout while I gather some things okay? Try to relax a little." Jazz replied, trying to smile, but her face was still gaunt with fear and I could hear cans rattling in the bag she was holding.

"But why do you have to go? Can't you help keep a lookout from here?" blood rushed to my cheeks as the question turned into a whine, one that sounded childish even as I spoke it.

"I know, but I'm the only one who knows what medicine is what. Kisai makes a good point when he says he could end up taking something totally useless." she countered with a fearful look on her face, "it won't take long."

Before I could come up with any more excuses, the door unlocked and the two of them scooted out into the hallway, leaving me no choice but to lurk just inside the door, waiting for the zombies to find their way to more sitting meat.

The minutes seemed to drag second by agonizing second, in which the only sounds I heard were the ticking of the large clock a couple of feet from our door, the sound of my own rapid heartbeat, and the occasional scuffle or muffled thump when it sounds like something fell off the shelf Jazz was trying to reach. My ears were starting to ache slightly from the effort of listening for ragged footsteps and hoarse breathing, which certainly wasn't helping my nerves. It seemed like time had dragged on for years until my mounting tension broke when the first two shuffled up the stairs, unaware of our small barricade of squashy red chairs until I shrieked.

"JAZZ! Let's go already!"

But my shout was quite unnecessary as they were already skidding around the corner, alarm widening their eyes as they pushed me back into our room as more appeared from both ends of the hall, crawling over the chairs and each other in their mad scramble to reach us.

"Hurry, there's a way to the roof!" Em called as we hastily shoved some things back against the door after bolting it, but it was already straining from being pushed against by the amount of dead bodies. Even as we were waiting for our turn to climb out the open window the bolt broke and several arms and heads made their way in, the eerie death throes sending a fresh wave of chills down my spine.

"Oww! I have legs of my own you know!" my sister squealed as I grabbed her by the scruff of her cloak and practically shoved her through headfirst before I scrambled through and slammed the window shut. Several seconds later we were climbing the rickety iron stairs up to the roof, warned by the sounds of swords clashing against skin that apparently others had the same idea as us, but they didn't make it.

Rooftops stretched out left and right as we ascended, separated only by gaps of the alleyways and roads as if they were gray rivers cutting through the mass of ivy wreathed stone, and beyond that, a sea of dark green beyond the wall of Tanglewood Way.

"Are you sure the Tournament Hall is safe?" I shouted over the sudden gust of wind, bringing the stench of burning gas and flesh. One of the columns of smoke was emanating from the Hall's direction, where the tips of the fluttering flagpoles adorning the front could just barely be seen.

"Look, you can see that the shield's still up, meaning someone must still be alive." Nalia said, pointing down at several corpses that were knocked over from the force of blue light.

"Let's go, we're almost there." Emmaline barked, firing off another arrow at a wandering undead as it meandered over from another roof. With Nalia in the lead, the five of us turned to the Hall's rooftop - to safety.

"C'mon already, you can make that!" Jazz shouted encouragingly from the opposite side of the gap, but as I glanced down into the alley below, it was more like a giant chasm, one teeming with dead bodies that would devour me alive if I missed the jump. The world turned to a sweeping mass of gray and cream as I swayed alarmingly.

"Just jump already!" Emmaline shouted, aiming her bow at the corpses that heard our shouts and were now stumbling our way.

I gritted my teeth, backing up several paces before approaching the chasm at a run on shaky legs. I quickly stepped onto the raised edge of the building and sprang as hard as I could to the other side, where Jazz and Nalia were ready with outstretched arms to catch me.

"Ouch!" I spat as I fell slightly short, grasping at the other edge as my already bruised knees scraped roughly against stone. Two pairs of outstretched hands snagged and pulled me up, and it was then I realized we were on the roof of the Library, with Emmaline perched on a part of the orange dome as she shot her arrows.

"I hate to be the party pooper, but my sheath is starting to run empty and that gap to the Hall is too far to jump." she shouted down, nodding towards the smoke wreathed building to our left.

I sighed heavily as I realized she was right. A burning corner of the Tourney Hall was closer to the Library than the entrance, but we were still separated by one of the widest roads in Wysteria, one teeming with undead on one side and guards, students, and other citizens scrambling through a haze of smoke to find a safe spot on the other, separated by the blue barrier that allowed only the living to pass through.

"Jazz, what are you doing?" I asked as she pulled out her wand and traced a green leaf symbol in the air, one that burst into ashes when she tapped it with her wand and was blown into her face by the wind.

"I'm _trying_ to summon a Seraph. Maybe she can carry us to the other side. Can you try Vamp?" she sneezed, waving her wand again. More ash floated away on the wind as I pulled out my own to draw the Death symbol in the air, but it too disintegrated into nothing.

"We could use a little help Amber!" Kisai yelled, drawing his sword as more zombies were drawn onto the rooftops from the ruined rooms below, climbing their way through a narrow trapdoor on the other side of the crystal dome. After a quick redraw of the shadowy symbol, one that was just as successful as the last, I reluctantly raised the metal bat at the nearest dead body.

"Why isn't this working?" Jazz growled, eyes narrowing in anger as her spell fizzled for the fifth time. "My accuracy isn't that bad!"

An argument broke out between her and Nal as she continued to attempt a summons of her Seraph instead of using the other bat, but it was in vain; the winged angel that promised to show no matter how dire the situation wouldn't appear.

"Duck!" I shouted, and thanks to what she called "twin sense", she was able to pull her head out of the way without turning as I swung the bat at a zombie approaching her, cracking it across its jaw and causing it to topple over the edge of the building, bouncing off the barrier and landing awkwardly on its neck on the ground.

"Oh forget the spells!" Nalia hissed in exasperation, aiming a kick at another corpse and sending it flying into the sharp corner of the edge of the building. Before any of us could stop her, she strode over to a half completed construction bar that held a fluttering white sign that stretched between the Library and the burned edge of the Hall, one that was barely a foot wide and smoke-stained near the other side. Since she was a cat, it was a lot easier for her to dart across it to the other side, waving at us to follow her footsteps.

"Go, I'll be right behind you." Kisai said to Jazz and I, raising his sword at another zombie that staggered too close.

We nervously approached the edge, trying not to glance down at the hard concrete and cobblestone below.

"Hurry up!" Emmaline snapped, pushing Jazz onto the metal before she could dawdle anymore.

"I'm going already, geez!" wailed my sister, terror filling her green eyes yet again as the sign started to sway a little in the wind. Once she was halfway through, I stepped onto the thin metal bars, grasping at the waist-length bar since my life really did depend on it. Behind me I could hear Em cursing under her breath at my slow progress, glancing back nervously at Kisai as he continued to fight off zombies so they wouldn't follow. A strange, yet almost tickle-ish sensation swept through my body as I moved past the writhing blue barrier, one that wasn't bothering to fade away as undead pressed against it below.

I quickly regretted breathing a sigh of relief as my feet touched the other side, my next inhale bringing the acrid stench of dying flames as I moved out of the way and next to my sister. But we couldn't breathe a sigh of relief yet. Even with the barrier, several zombies were stepping onto the iron bars, some of them falling as they pushed past one another greedily.

"You two stay back, we can handle this." Nalia shooed us away as she sheathed her twin swords and gripped the edge of the sign, calling for Em and Kisai to help her. With the two of them shifting the iron so that it would fall and Shugenja keeping a lookout, Jazz and I were finally able to take a breather, one more easier since the smoke was fading quickly. She plopped straight onto the ground with a sigh, pulling off her shoulder bag and rubbing the shoulder that had carried it.

"We'll be fine now." I sighed, sitting down next to her as waves of relief rolled off the two of us. Whether we could stay like this for who knows how long we didn't know, but right then it didn't matter. The fire damaged, smoke stained building felt like paradise at that moment. For several minutes neither of us said a word, merely gazing around and taking in every moment of safety and peace we could.

"Amber?" Jasmine whispered suddenly, her face darkening.

"What?" I replied.

"Why couldn't I summon my Seraph? I know I'm not that bad."

The question took me off-guard, causing me to blink in confusion a couple of times while I contemplated her remark. Calling upon our magical creatures wasn't exactly my main priority when we hardly had a second to spare from running or fighting.

"And why can't you talk to those zombies below? Aren't they like the other spiritual creatures Necromancers can talk to?" she continued, her question raising the hair along the back of my neck. She had a point - why _hadn't_ I bothered to attempt to communicate?

I merely shook my head and scooted to the blackened edge of the building, the one that was just barely within the barriers' walls. I took a deep breath before slowly exhaling, closing my eyes as I attempted to tune into the Dying Aura, the decaying energy everything released the moment they were born.

"What's wrong?" Jazz asked over the sudden _clang! _as the tournament sign finally fell, crushing the zombies beneath it with a loud, unpleasant crunch.

Emmaline's tough exterior finally melted moments later as a few undead stumbled their way to the source of the noise, turning their sightless gaze here and there before they fell to on the trapped zombies beneath the crushed metal and, right before our eyes, began to devour them. Em barely had time to duck behind a ventilation shaft sticking out of the roof before she ended up hurling whatever was in her stomach as the ones that were trapped grazed their rotten teeth on the ashen arms of the others, biting, gnawing, , leaving Nalia and Kisai at the edge of the building with a disgusted look on their faces and one of their arms pressed tight against their noses.

As disturbing as the sounds were, my attention wasn't focused on the scene below, but on the massive waves of pitch-black auras that fanned out below, pooling where the mass of dead bodies were the largest. The very essence of it was making my own stomach clench with fear despite the fact that the Aura had never bothered me before.

"Amby! What's wrong?" Jazz shook me by the shoulders, breaking me out of my meditation and leaving me gasping for breath that I never knew I was holding until then. Nalia heard her desperate pleas and rushed over to help, but I had impatiently brushed her helping hand away, desperate to explain what I had just witnessed.

But before I could even open my mouth, or even think of what to say, a loud _CRACK! _rang through the air, stunning us into silence. The crack was followed by a strange, shifting sensation underneath our feet, followed swiftly by the sensation of falling as the stone underneath us splintered into fragments and sent the five of us screaming into hot, dusty ashes and bright orange flames that licked at our arms and backs.

"Jazz?! Jazz, where are you?" I screamed through a mouthful of dust and smoke, my eyes watering as I stumbled through the room we landed in to find my twin. A furry hand clamped on the back of my neck seconds later as Dunestrider steered me through an oak door hanging off its hinges, with Emmaline being pulled alongside her.

"What about my sister!?" I shrieked, but the white cat had already disappeared into the room again, leaving me with a retching Windflower.

The seconds seemed to take forever to tick by, a ringing silence only broken by Em heaving, the fire that burned in the other room, and the sound of…footsteps?

"We're over here!" I shouted, spotting a dark, short figure walk past. It was one of the rabbit guards, accompanied by another, and they had heard my shouts. One of them sprinted off down the hallway while the other approached me warily, spear down.

"How'd you get in here? All the entrances are blocked off." he questioned.

"Please, there's people trapped in that burning room, they need help!" I pleaded, raising my hands as he advanced with his spear.

"Have either of you been bitten?" he continued, not taking in a word I said.

"_No! _We haven't, but there's people trapped in there and we need to get them out!" I repeated, taken aback by his stupidity. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but before he could do anything, the sound of hooves brought my attention elsewhere.

But it wasn't Kisai. Instead, more guards and other students appeared from around the corner, accompanied by the person I least expected - or wanted to see.

"What are you all standing around for? If there are students trapped, help them out," a silky, Spanish-like accent rang out, causing the rabbits and wizards to hurry to the burning room, wands aloft. The voice belonged to Benedict Glendemming, the Head Tournament Master of Wysteria, a slight amused expression on his horsy face as he surveyed the situation.


	5. Chapter 4

The End

Chapter Four: Crumbling

June 5th, 2012

7:47 am, Day 1 cont.

"Do you think," came Logan's breathless words as he leaned against the grimy wall, "that you could use the gun just a _little_ bit less? You're only attracting attent-"

But Isabella cut him off with a sharp glare as she casually dispatched another zombie from over her shoulder, her narrowed sapphire eyes now harder than diamonds.

Their spat over the weapons faded to the back of my mind as I stared out the grimy window nearby in our briefest of breaks, squinting even in the bleak gray light that filtered through the dirty clouds as it had been the first I'd seen in several days .

A light but steady drizzle of late winter rain sprinkled down as the sun rose behind the blanket of opaline clouds, casting a dim illumination onto the small garden below the window. Several uneaten patients had escaped and were now meandering around the dead bushes, their lips forming around words I couldn't hear as they picked up some rusty garden tools as if it were an ordinary work day. I had to turn my head away as reaching arms that approached them from behind snagged them by the hair and pulled them beneath a bloody mass of bodies and back towards Izzy and Logan, still trying to glare each other down.

"And _I'm_ saying that if you continue to shoot, we'll end up trapped since the hallways near here echo more." I caught Logan's words as I approached, every syllable laced with annoyance.

"What else do you suggest then? Do you think if we show our hall passes we'll get through just fine?" came her snarky response, followed quickly by a blast. "Didn't anyone teach you not to interrupt?" she spat at the zombie that she shot as it collapsed in a heap.

"Okay fine, if that's the way you want it," he replied scathingly, "We'll go around blasting zombies out of our way all high and mighty, and when they corner us and begin munching on our bones, I reserve the right to say 'I told you so'."

Angrily, he brushed past her and down towards the end of the corridor, to an entrance that led into a longer side hallway that led to the storeroom. Carefully, he pressed against the doorframe to peer out into the corridor, and from the look on his face it wasn't a good sight.

A small gasp escaped from Isabella's lips, all her anger gone, as a tiny well of despair rose up in me at the sight of the six or seven dead guards that were feasting on the prisoners that had tried to escape - and not all of them were dead. Whimpers even more pitiful and chilling than screams turned my blood to ice as the two of them pressed against the wall, dragging me with them.

"Now what?" Izzy hissed across the doorframe, her tone still annoyed but with a lace of concern hidden under it. "We can't go through there, they'll raise a ruckus. We might even get tripped up as we pass."

Her words rattled my nerves. "Can't we do anything to help?"

Despite the friction developing between them, Isabella and Logan couldn't help but exchange exasperated glances, glances that only deepened my unsettled feelings.

"And what do you suggest we do? They're already bitten, it's only a matter of time." Izzy leaned down to whisper in my ear. "Now…do you know an alternative route? I'm not as familiar with this area."

But even as she was talking, one of the zombie-fied guards had abandoned its meal, leaving him with blood pouring from his mangled neck, to stagger our way. She let out a gasp and flung out an arm to press me against the wall, her other holding her firearm at the ready.

But like before, it continued to stumble past us into the hallway, where a couple other undead were making their way towards us. Once it had passed, a sigh of relief blew out from Izzy and I.

"That was close," she whispered, leaning against the wall in relief.

"Can we go now?" I asked nervously, gazing forward at the corridor again.

"Come on," Isabella started, but she found herself talking to empty air as she turned to Logan, who was now sneaking up on the departing guarddog.

_What. Are. You. DOING?! _She angrily mouthed to him, who turned to us after hearing our stifled gasps of shock. His reply was only a goofy grin and a thumbsup before his fingers started fumbling with the belt on the dead body. I didn't see much use in that, there wasn't a gun or even one of those police shields they usually carried.

The seconds ticked by agonizingly slow, grating against my already frayed nerves like unforgiving steel against soft flesh as he had to step back several times to avoid other zombies or bits of trash that would've made noise. Isabella's teeth ground together as he bumped into one of the corpses that was walking past him, whether from irritation or worry I couldn't tell. I had to cover my eyes as they almost fell into each other, their faces mere inches away from each other.

A few muted scuffles that made me peek between my fingers showed me that he was finally able to detach something black and long from the belt and tiptoe back to us, grinning in a satisfied way as he silently showed us the police dog's nightstick he snatched.

_Guess I'll go first, _he mouthed back, taking great care in tapping the both of us lightly on the head with the baton before nodding forward, making sure we would both follow him before bursting into a sprint towards the mini storeroom. Iz just slapped her palm against her forehead, annoyed that we had no choice but to follow.

Already they were drawing ahead of me as Logan brought the nightclub down on the heads of the zombies, throwing them against the wall and stunning them long enough for us to pass by. But the damage was already done the minute we stepped in. A grimace formed on Izzy's brow, but she kept up with Logan well enough. Unlike them, I wasn't as detached when it came to seeing people suffer.

"Just keep moving," Isabella said over the sound of the living's wails, dodging to one side to avoid grasping hands as she returned for me. She grasped my hand to pull me away as I stared, transfixed by a boy younger than me and in too much to scream, or even whimper. Bright red liquid and red entrails spilled from a gaping wound in his abdomen as two more undead clumsily crouched to join a third in devouring him. The tiny feeling of despair grew rapidly as he was finally able to find his voice in a scream, his wide green eyes staring pleadingly into mine; not for life, but the sanctuary of death.

Wordlessly, Izzy pulled me away and pushed me down the hall towards Logan, who grabbed me by the shoulder to keep my feet moving. A squeak escaped my lips from a shot that rang out from behind, followed quickly by Izzy catching up to us a heartbeat later. She didn't elaborate, but merely nodded towards the doorway at the end of the hall- the storeroom. She kept close to me as he sighed and whirling behind another dead guard, yanking off its helmet and using its momentum to crash it headlong into the wall. Gray, filthy light started to shine through the dusty windows as our party of three sped past them, dodging left and right as a couple of doors collapsed under the weight of the corpses that piled against them.

Finally, after several more yards, the door we needed came into view. Logan yanked it open and Izzy and I toppled into a two-person pile as we crashed inside, with Logan slamming the door shut on our heels. He quickly latched the two bolts and lock as the undead began to shove against it.

"Help me with this Fallon!" he shouted, bracing his shoulder against the shuddering door. "Miss Moon, can you move some of those boxes against this?"

Concern for our safety overruled Isabella's chagrin of her newly given nickname, but she still pursed her lips as she began scraping large wooden crates over to the door.

Several strainful minutes passed as she continued to drag and push more boxes to keep the door shut and pull out her wand to tap against it, casting some sort of bright purple light that enveloped it. I was even able to help move a small, heavy shelf once enough crates had been placed to let Logan and me take a quick respite.

I leaned against a large box with a huff, pulling myself up on it a second later and letting my head and limbs hang down. I closed my eyes and forced my muscles to unclench, relaxing my fingers so my fists curled open. A long sigh seemed to un-inflate me, and as I breathed in through my nose, that's when I smelled it. The rancid breath. The decaying gray flesh. I snapped open my eyes and was surprised to hear a bloodcurdling scream that sent Logan and Izzy nearly a foot in the air.

A mangled face of a disfigured body was drooling a mere six inches away from my face, its bottom jaw hanging from nothing but a few tendons. Blood, broken teeth, and a long, sagging gray tongue was hanging from what was left of its mouth. The floor sizzled slightly as acid leaked from its stomach, which was hanging from an open wound the size of two dinner plates. Blood gushed from its empty eye socket, the cloudy eyeball itself hanging from a string of flesh. The mere sight of the mangled body was enough to send me flying, screams continuing to sound from my torn throat as I found myself clawing up Logan's back and hanging onto him.

"HEEEEEYY!" he yelled, his fingers digging into my arms that were threatening to strangle him. But my grip was too tight and the only thing I could hear were my own shrieks for somebody to kill it.

A gunshot and the sound of a body falling to the ground was able to break through my screams. I opened my blurry eyes to see my face buried in the back of his neck, tears falling into his black hair. The corpse lay with another hole in its head, shot by Izzy's last bullet from the sound of the clicking noise her gun was making.

"Can I breathe now?" Logan gasped, collapsing to the ground with me still clinging to him.

"Sorry." I squeaked, pushing myself up. "What, what did I do?" I shrinked back further as he let out another yell and flinched under my hands. Hands that came away slightly red as more spread across the dried blood on his shirt. Another thrill of shock at his condition shivered up my back as I looked closer at the shadows under his violet eyes, the sweat building on his brow, and the scars on his hands and face.

"You all right?" Isabella asked as she knelt beside him. His response was only a thumbsup.

"I don't think he can go any farther right now. Stay here while I check for any more nasty surprised." she took the nightstick from where it fell next to his body and moved off towards flickering lights near the front of the room, near the built-in pharmacy this place sported. The shaking in my legs took over and I sank to the floor, shaking all over. I wrapped my arms around my knees but I was too afraid to duck my head and start crying again. The images of the slewn zombie seemed branded in the back of my eyelids.

Instead, I settled for gazing around the unknown place with teared up eyes while Iz was prowling around the room, searching for any more zombies left behind. Her vivid pink hair soon faded into the blackness as she checked the parts of the room that remained engulfed in shadows, broken only by flashes of light from her wand. Worn wooden shelves filled with plastic boxes and dusty glass jars stretched towards the ceiling, tables cluttered with papers sat under the fixed shelves on the wall.

"Now where do we go?" I questioned to nobody in particular. We seemed safe enough locked away in here, but we couldn't stay in here forever. Sooner or later we'd have to trek through a city filled with thousands of zombies and somehow make it out alive when we don't even know where we're going to end up. I wracked my brains to try to think of someplace safe or familiar, but with panic welling up inside me like a balloon, I couldn't even begin to consider anything. The only thing that broke through the haze was a sharp pain near the bottom of my chest, where the sheets of paper I had nearly forgotten about were starting to give me paper cuts in a place where they'd be _very_ uncomfortable. I pulled them out and unfolded them, eyes traveling down the page.

_Getting through Marleybone in the beginning of a zombie apocalypse is bad enough on its own, but how are we going to make it out alive with _him _tagging along? _my thoughts darkened as I took in the letters printed on the still warm sheet filled with long, unpronounceable words. There was only one I understood, and it wasn't the one I wanted to see. I shut my eyes tight, hoping it would leave, but when I opened them again they were still there. But now they were accompanied by a call from Isabella.

"Hey, knock it off would you? She's scared enough as it is." Her words both startled me and annoyed me as I whipped around, shoving the paper into the waistband of my pants while pulling my shirt over them before glaring at Logan who still lay on the ground. He looked sheepish at being caught in the act, his arms still outstretched and only inches away from my ribs, probably to dig his fingers into them.

"What? I'm only trying to do her a favor."

The edge of the sheets tore slightly as I stuffed them away, but I was more concerned on hiding the evidence of his predicament. Had he seen them? Angry, I thumped him on the back of the head, the only part of his body I could hit without causing any more serious damage to him. But if he had, he gave no indication, for exhaustion took over after he rubbed the back of his head and he slumped facedown on the floor again.

"Strong as an ox isn't he?" She mused, "Good thing I found some bandages. Can you help me get him to the front?" she grabbed one of his arms, hissing in his ear to get up while I took his other. A dazed look replaced the mischievous sparkle in his eyes as he struggled to get up and walk behind several rows of shelves, even with our support.

"Damn, he's heavy." I grunted as his arm slipped through my fingers. "How did he manage to get this far anyway?" Logan mumbled something under his breath, but he was to incoherent to figure out.

"Guess he was on some painkillers awhile ago, but they seem to be wearing off with all that adrenaline. Didn't help that you jumped on him either." Izzy replied, plopping him down in a nearby chair we came across. She left me to clear the large table of its stacks of papers, quills, and other junk while she left to find some antibiotics and more bandages, the bottle she always kept in her pocket wouldn't be nearly enough. I tossed a stack into a far-off aisle, scattering pages everywhere and smashing ornate glass paperweights shaped like bones onto the floor, glad to have something to do to take my mind off things for a bit. Several minutes later, she returned with her arms full of bandages, ointments, and a box of plastic gloves.

"Hope you don't mind a little more blood. He's going to have to be cleaned up first before we go." She commented as she set down her load and proceeded to tug off Logan's bloodstained shirt.

"I think I've seen enough mangled bodies for one day," I winced at the state of his back. Fresh, cherry red blood oozed from several recent whip wounds that stretched from his shoulder almost to the small of his back, bleeding fresh over faded scars. Strips of flesh were hanging by mere threads of skin, and underneath all the mess, small, bright pink weals shone through, as if they were still healing. _What had they done to him? _I thought, mortified.

Izzy must've seen the expression forming on my face, for she pulled off the plastic gloves she was pulling on and steered me by the shoulders to an area of shelves.

"Here, why don't you try searching around there some, that's the "S" section I think. You might find a box with your stuff in it." She shoved me towards the shelves, and it took me nearly all my self-control not to burst into a sprint as Logan lay facedown on the table so Izzy could treat him.

The smell of dust and wood soon replaced the salty iron scent, but his moans of pain were still within earshot as I nervously paced through the numbered rows in search of my box. They gradually grew muffled by the amount of dust and boxes as I walked further and further away from them, and closer to a sliding glass door that led somewhere outside, to a side room that led into the entrance hall if I remembered correctly. I carefully pressed my nose against it to look out, and almost immediately jumped back with a yelp.

A short, red-haired figure was standing with her back to the door, but as far as I could tell she was still alive- and human. She was standing motionless behind a pharmacy counter with a glass plated window protecting rows upon rows of medications and bottles, some of them bloodstained from a crack in the glass. My hands flew to my mouth as I ducked out of sight when I saw the bloody scalpel in her shredded hand, the corpse leaning in a sitting position against one of the cabinets and the bloody scalpel in her shredded hand that dripped blood onto the tiled floor. But if she heard or saw me, she didn't show any signs of it.

I took the opportunity to tiptoe away as silently as I could into the closed aisle, bursting into a run as my feet brushed some cardboard boxes left in the walkway between two shelves. I didn't stop until I reached the end of the row and leaned against it, shutting my eyes and praying that she didn't see me. The seconds ticked by without any sound of pursuit, so I allowed myself to breath a sigh of relief and leaned my head back against the bottom of the shelf. Why hasn't chased after me yet? I didn't know much about her, but any patient of Newgate Correctional Institution covered in that much blood and being that still couldn't be normal. I opened my eyes and pushed myself on my elbows when I finally came across it. A small burst of happiness bloomed in me as I saw a plastic bin with the label with "Star, Fallon. Patient 1120" printed across it sitting right behind my head. I quickly ripped off the lid of the bin and grabbed whatever was inside it before hurrying back to Izzy and Logan.

"Back already?" she asked as she carefully dabbed a glob of clear ointment onto his ravaged back, much to his dismay as he winced from the medicine.

"Uhh, yeah," I muttered, clutching the bundle of soft fabric I held closer. "There was someone in the pharmacy…"

"I know, I saw her." she cut me off, not taking her eyes off her patient. "I placed a sealing charm on the doors so nobody, dead or alive, is getting in."

She straightened up and sighed, brushing a lock of rose pink hair out of her eyes with her arm. "Are those your clothes?" she nodded towards the cloth in my hands. I looked down to see dusty black clothes speckled with tawny and red Balance symbols and a pair of durable boots I used to wear all the time. "Why don't you change? I'm sure you'd love to get out of that drab uniform. It wouldn't hurt to wear something else that doesn't say you're from a mental institution either." I nodded blankly and gazed around in hopes of seeing a changing room, but there was only the oaken wood and cardboard around me.

"Okay…but no peeking!" I glared at Logan in particular, but thankfully he was too busy being in pain to do anything else besides moan and groan to the table. With a satisfied smirk, I walked back a couple of rows or so to where a clump of cardboard boxes replaced the clear plastic ones that were scattered everywhere, stacking them together on several rows for some privacy. But even as I clumped them together, a light flush crept into my cheeks at the thought of undressing somewhere so exposed. I put off the moment by crouching down and opening the flap of my black and tan backpack, peering into the almost cavernous depths thanks to a householdy charm everyone knew.

Bundles of clothes in shades of midnight black and lavender in need of a good wash greeted my eyes, buried under several wand and staff handles and the clanging of some rings and necklaces used in duels long past. A small smile cracked through the mask of horror that settled onto my face at the sight of the brown and tawny-white fur of Queen Sandy, my Desert Beast pet, and Snowy, the lioness mount my sister had given me for my eleventh birthday. Their breathing was slow, and both were twitching slightly as if they were enjoying an enchanted dream. I carefully tugged them out of the pack to wake them, the sight of a full grown lion emerging from a tiny backpack never ceased to amuse me. A giggle escaped my lips for the first time that day as she rolled over and almost knocked a shelf over in her sleep.

After a quick glance around to make sure nobody was watching, I left the two animals to blink away their sleep while I pulled off the dirty white uniform I'd been wearing for the past three days, changing into my favorite, completely black outfit I used to wear, a Jester's Motley laced with pale gold Balance symbols that my sister stitched on and black leggings that stretched from my toes to the top of my thighs, shins encased in black, knee-length boots.

"You awake Sandy?" I crooned to the little cat creature as she twitched her tufted ears before sitting up and letting out a huge yawn, stretching out her small wings. She rubbed her brown and white striped head against my leg as I stuffed my black cap into my bag, settling for the hood attached to my short cloak. I nudged Snowy awake with the tip of my boot, trying to jostle her awake.

"Wait…" I quietly breathed, ignoring the growls as my foot dug into her shoulders. I quickly snatched it away and backed away several paces so Snowy wouldn't bite my foot off, pulling the papers out of my waistband from under my shirt yet again. Her long tail flicked me in the back of the head as I studied the print yet again, but I hardly noticed as I stepped back quietly, back to the pharmacy.

"Shhhh!" I hissed, pushing Sandy back with my foot as she sniffed the sliding door curiously, letting out a high pitched chirp. I fumbled with the lock on the door, but as I pulled out a wand and tapped it, it unlocked with a loud click that made me flinch, but the red-haired girl didn't move an inch.

"Wait here girl," The lioness let out a _Mroww_ as I shoved her back a little by the nose, taking a cautious step into the white washed room. "I won't be long." The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I approached the girl with another hesitant step, but I could already see the locked cupboard that held the prescriptions I couldn't even think to leave behind. Several more steps around the counter set in the middle of the room and I was close enough to see her face for the first time as I edged around.

Were it not for the faint rise and fall of her chest, I would've believed that the girl was already dead, held in a standing position by some spell or invisible strings that hanged from the ceiling like they do in some cells. Her face was lifeless, a blank slate, pupils almost nonexistent as her gaze was locked on the gory mess smeared on the pickup window. Sandy fluttered onto another countertop with a growl in the back of her throat, her bushy tail stiff as a board as she guarded the mysterious woman.

"Keep watch okay?" I whispered to her, my eyes flicking back and forth from the girl to the locked cupboard on the other side of the room, next to several racks carrying medicines to be sorted. Her growls deepened as a couple of zombies pressed against the bulletproof glass, leaving bloody handprints on their side of the glass. But the glass was strong and didn't break. I pulled open several drawers in search of the key needed to open the cupboard, but so far there were only small slips of papers for prescriptions and pairs of scissors, some paperclips, and notebooks.

_Found it! _My heart jumped in my throat as I yanked open the key drawer, rummaging around until I found the cupboard number stamped onto the small silver key. I quickly jammed it into the lock and pulled it open, surveying the shelves before grabbing two narrow racks and dumping their contents straight into my backpack.

"Keep it down!" I snapped to Sandy, who by now was fluffing up with a loud snarl, before grabbing two more rows and emptying them. I managed to get four more filled with the precious bottles crammed into my backpack before pushing most of them into the very bottom of my backpack to muffle the noise, unaware of the three dark figures approaching me from behind as I reached behind me for a bottle that fell. My hand came across a soft, almost spongy material caked onto a shoe, a shoe that was connected to the rest of a dead body that leaned down to grab me. Pure terror bolted through me faster than lightening as I grabbed my pack and crawled as fast I could until I bumped into the counter, jumping as a high pitched scream erupted from behind me. I made my way on all fours to the other side of the counter, peering up just in time to see the one that had approached me sink its teeth into the girl's flesh, joining another that had first bitten her. I scrambled to my feet and shouted for Sandy to come, running around the counter to avoid the zombies that were now coming round from the back.

"Izzy! Logan!" I screeched, trying to shove Snowy away from the door, but between her roars and the shrieks of the girl, I didn't know how they'd be able to hear. One of the undead heard my cries and stopped to turn and stumble towards me. My cries became more urgent as I recognized the white lab coat, now covered in blood spatters, and the gold colored glasses rimmed with small thorns. It was Blackthorn, the only other person besides Isabella who was actually kind to me. He'd slip me painkillers or Band-Aids when I needed them after a talk with the guards. Alarm raced through me and made my fingers clumsy as I hastily opened my pack to pull out the ebony bladed sword, just as he leaned down to take a bite of me.

The unpleasant sound of a sharp blade slicing through skin and organs snaked into my ears and almost buried itself into my eardrum as the corpse that had been Jack impaled itself on the Umbra blade, driving the hilt into my stomach with his dead weight. It's jaws clicked together mere inches away from my face, a couple of teeth falling onto my chest as I was bathed in its foul breath.

"Get away from me!" I screeched, the sight of his cloudless, empty eyes sending a fresh course of adrenaline through me. My muscles strained to push away the dead body, and with a final heave and a blow from Snowy, I shoved him to the side, losing my grip on the blade. I hardly noticed as I propelled myself forward under Snowy, scraping skin off in the process as I squeezed through the small gap in the door that wasn't covered in lion.

"LOGAN! Izzy!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, crawling forward a little before straightening up clumsily to race towards them. Fear finally overtook little Sandy as she took flight to the very top of the high shelves, bushing out her fur until she looked like a giant hissing puffball with wings. I rounded a corner that led straight to their table, but I barely got a glimpse of the two of them before crashing into something lean and warm. A surprised exclamation told me it was Logan, who quickly pulled me out of the way before shouting to my lioness to clear out as he ran towards the zombies, swinging something that shone brightly in the dimmer light at two of them in swift, fluid movements. I shut my eyes tight as he spun the shining lance into the body of my former friend, his glasses shattering on the ground as he fell. But he was already striking the next one even as he fell, driving the blade and the counterweight at the end into their skulls. I glanced towards Izzy, who was frozen to the spot with thoughts dancing in her eyes, but from fear or being impressed I couldn't tell.

Finally, the last of the zombies had been slain and silence descended onto the three of us at last. Logan straightened up, panting, and flicking the lance to spatter loose blood up the wall before walking back to us.

"Are you okay?" he asked, placing a hand on my shoulder. "What were you doing in there anyway?"

But I couldn't hear him clearly. He repeated his question as a whimper escaped my throat, a small sound that finally cracked something inside me in two. Tears began pouring down my cheeks as I started to sob uncontrollably, my legs giving out from under all the stress I had been through.

"Geez, what's wrong? You aren't hurt are you?" Logan questioned, quickly becoming alarmed as he caught me. But the only thing I could do was cry into his shoulder and dig my fingers into the dark green jacket he had pulled on. He continued to ask questions over my head to Izzy, but she sounded just as confused as he did. After a couple of pokings and proddings, she just sighed and said something to him that didn't make it to my ears.

_How many people that care about me are left alive in the world? What if they all die like he did? Am I going to be left alone?_

Someone muttered something that sounded like "geez…" under their breath as I felt arms pick me up and carry me somewhere, as if they were reluctant to comfort me in anyway. I was vaguely aware of Isabella saying a few things and moving something around as I sobbed into his shoulder, cries that were growing weaker as I welcomed the darkness of sleep several minutes later. Or perhaps it was hours. The last sensation I remember was Logan patting me on the head stiffly, sighing in an uncomfortable way.


	6. Chapter 5

The End

Chapter Five: Burning Secrets

June 5th, 2012

3:57 pm. Day 1 cont.

The heat of the dancing flames were slowly diminishing as the minutes slugged by, helped along by Thaumaturges and anyone who could pick up a fire extinguisher. I waved away the smell of smoke and paced back and forth down the cooling hall, the sound of my footsteps muffled by the rich, deep red carpet. My wary gaze kept flicking back and forth between the door guarded by two wizards clad in armor and the moans of the other residents of Quarantine, with Theurgists nursing various wounds. Thankfully, none of them were bites.

"Someone in there?" a quiet voice asked. A girl with short auburn hair and chocolate colored eyes was peering over her knotted arms, watching me pace from her perch on a box. Her purple and yellow school uniform was covered in dirt and a little blood, but otherwise she didn't look hurt. I just nodded and continued wearing my footprints into the carpet, rolling up my white sleeves to the elbow as the heat crept in from the sunny windows.

"Mind if I ask who?"

I nodded again, not breaking pace. But she still felt like talking it seemed like, for she noticed me nervously straitening my black skirt and red bow tied delicately onto the black vest that came with our uniform, the colors of a Necromancer.

"Can't you do something about them? You can talk to the dead right?" she asked as she approached my nervously. Her plea caught the ears of a couple nearby.

"You do look like a Necromancer. Why don't you tell them to stop killing people?" the man said loudly, drawing the attention of others, who were starting to crowd around me, wondering the same thing out loud. I backed away towards the wizards guarding the burning room, stammering replies I couldn't even hear as they demanded answers.

A welcome distraction came from frantic shouts in the other room, breaking the guard's attention long enough for me to dart between them, running straight for the burning room. I only paused to let Nalia lead Kisai through, away from the smoke. She pointed back to the glowing orange room as she walked to a set up Infirmary in the main hall.

"Jazz!" I shouted into the room, ready to dive into the curtains of smoke and flames were it not for one of the Thaumaturge's throwing his arms out to hold me back.

"Noooo, she's still in there!" I screeched over his words, ignoring the blue frost spreading from his chilly fingers. A couple more wizards clad in white and masks dove in, but none of them brought my sister out. Another scream for my sister tore out of my throat, almost painfully, as a loud crash brought a cloud of smoke and ash billowing from the frame. I broke free of the Thaum's grip and rushed inside, wincing slightly as I climbed over the hot metal and into the room. Several Thaumaturges and Diviners had been able to get inside as well, using their magic to freeze parts of the broken roof and summoning rain clouds to put out the patches of fire.

A bulky, misshapen figure finally emerged from the smoke and scrambled around the wreckage, who appeared to be carrying Jazz, who looked too weak to even cough anymore. It looked like someone dressed in dark red armor, a Pyromancer I guessed, since one of his hands burned a bright red that cut through the metal support beams. A couple of wizards clad in robes of forest green immediately rushed forward to steer them towards the main hall as we hurriedly scrambled back out, where most of the medical tents were set up.

"She's going to be fine Amber, let them do their job." Emmaline rasped, leading me towards a sheltered corner where Nalia and Kisai were waiting before I could be shooed back into Quarantine. Several thick, woolly blankets were piled around the floor, littered with a few water bottles and packs of rations. More stalls were being set up in front of the wand displays, filled with pots that burped steam every now and then. Fresh fruit and bread were being packed into rations, along with drinks, while various wizards were weaving thread into blankets with their wands. Already this sign of something remotely close to normal seemed like a fragile dream, one where you woke up into a nightmare instead of reality. I collapsed onto one of the blankets that were closest to where Jazz was being taken, watching nervously as they placed a breathing mask over her mouth and injected something into her arm.

A wizard dressed in dark gold and red wandered over and started talking to Emmaline and Nalia, writing down our names and handing her some kind of white visitor pins. Her spoke some mumbled words that didn't make any sense in my head before he moved off down to Quarantine. My fingers drummed impatiently against my knee and te tiled floor as the Theurgists continued to work their Life magic on her. An hour slugged by before one of them could be spared to check on us and bring a tray of medicine for our cuts and bruises.

"How's my sister doing?" I asked, glancing towards the still sleeping figure hooked to an oxygen tank.

"I checked on her about twenty minutes ago and she's stable," he replied, "She'll need at least a day of rest though, so you're welcome to stay here to recover."

"Where are you evacuating? The broadcast wasn't quite clear." Kisai spoke up.

"I've heard Wizard City is still safe, for the most part. Glendemming said he's been getting communiqués from Ambrose but we've never heard any details."

"When are the evacuations going to start?"

"In about two days," The smooth Spanish-like accent spoke out again as Benedict passed by. "We are just waiting for the Headmistress to arrive tomorrow before we take our leave.

And don't worry about a thing! All Pigswick students that haven't turned into one of those undead creatures out there will be included in the evacuation. Just keep your I.D's close and you'll be out of here in no time." he added, seeing our exchange of glances. Kisai and Nalia nodded approvingly before they got up to head towards a food station. I turned to face the wall in case he wanted to start up another conversation, but he had already walked away to another hallway.

The sunlight that streamed through the tall windows and glass dome slowly began to lengthen as time passed, almost like Time was in a hurry to rush through the rest of the day. It seemed like only a second had passed once I had closed my eyes for the sun's rays to turn orange, casting a fiery light throughout the Hall so it felt like it was still on fire. My skin started to crawl as I found myself entangled in the gray blanket, wrapping itself around me like a snake. My efforts to untie myself seemed to have caught the eye of a group of somewhat older men, around their twenties, who seemed so keen to watch me as I untangled myself. They started snickering and talking amongst themselves as I realized my shirt was twisted around, and hastened to straighten it out. I glanced wildly around for somebody to tell them off as they edged closer and closer, eyeing my chest in an appreciative way. However, an almost primal scream from my throat nearly caused them to jump two feet in the air before scampering off.

"WHAT THE HEL.L DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?" I almost flew to the other side of the room before the words tore from my throat, to where Jazz was still sleeping with three other Healers by her side. My nails raked down the side of the oldest one's face, who was trying to run his hands up her thigh. Blood welled beneath my fingers as he let out a strangled yell and backed away, adding his own hurt questions to my belligerent screeches. The racket I was making was quickly drawing stares and concerned yelps, but as I swung my fist around to land a punch to the eye at another of the Healers, who was trying to hold her shoulders down, my attention was focused on my little sister waking up. Her wails as she realized what was happening only incensed me to fight harder against them, and in my rage a kick straight into the groin of the other wizard, who was trying to hold Jazz down, brought him to roll on the floor. I quickly took the slim opportunity to pull Jasmine away and behind me, all the while still shouting obscenities and curses at them.

A flash of silver and black followed by a firm, but icy grip on my shoulder brought my voice to a screeching halt at last. Her tawny gold eyes seemed to bring everyone in the room to a standstill, giving me that questioning look I've known almost my whole life. She must've seen the panic in my eyes, for she quickly whirled around and brought up her sword right above the heart of the oldest Theurgist, who skidded to a halt to avoid being impaled.

"Leave them alone." Diana, our cousin, ordered in her most quietest and commanding voice, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"Look, I didn't mean anything by that, it's just our job," he stammered, raising his hands up to show he wasn't going to fight. "Anyone who hasn't been through Quarantine needs to be checked over for bites…"

"That's no excuse to be running your hands all over her," Diana's voice lashed out fiercer than a whiplash. "Find some other patients to attend to. And to avoid further confrontation I suggest you follow the Healer's Handbook to the letter." The three of them were practically tripping over themselves as they left, and a quick glance around the room assured us that the other people were going to leave us alone. I half carried, half guided Jazz to our corner of the room and sat her down, letting her bury her face into my shoulder to let her cry.

"What happened?" Nalia demanded as she and the others skidded to a halt, her fur bristling as she spotted our cousin.

"Some of the Theurgists thought they'd…check over Jazz and well…it didn't go so well." Diana explained.

"And just who are you?" Emmaline spoke up, her hand twitching towards her bow.

"Sorry! I should've mentioned this sooner. This is Diana Moonsong, our cousin." I replied, patting my sister's head.

"The cousin you mentioned earlier?" Kisai asked. I nodded.

"I think I've seen you two around. But I don't recall seeing you." Diana said quietly, tilting her head slightly towards Em.

"I'm Emmaline. Emmaline Windflower. My goodness decided to get the better of me by helping those two." she jerked her head towards me and Jazz. The four of them continued their discussion for almost half an hour, but my attention was split between them and comforting my sister, who was trying to get her crying under control.

"I r-really ne-need to cut this out don't I?" she hiccupped, rubbing her eyes.

"It's fine." I said as I handed her a spare inhaler, but an angry response from Emmaline quickly drew my attention back to the others.

"Look, I don't care if any of you come with me or not, I'm not going with you." she hissed, glancing around to make sure nobody was eavesdropping.

"Why not though? You'll be safe." Nalia questioned. "Can't you contact Scotland Yard?"

"Oh please. If you knew the things I know about them, you wouldn't bother either. I'm going to get to Marleybone whether you want me to or not." Emmaline retorted, getting up. "There are more important things than safety."

"Sit down, you're only drawing attention to yourself." I hissed. "And what's this about wanting to go to Marleybone?"

"I've got family there, and I'm not leaving them behind." she said, sitting back down on the stone ledge that ran the length of the walls.

"Then I'll go with you." Everyone turned to me in surprise at my declaration; even I didn't expect it. My cheeks flushed as they gaped at me, but I stood my ground. "Jazz wasn't joking when she said I have a…boyfriend there." my words faded into a mumble. Em flashed a quick glance of thanks at me while the other two exchanged arched eyebrows.

"Is he worth wading through a sea of zombies though?" Kisai murmured.

"Does Jasmine feel the same?" Nalia asked quietly. My gaze flicked to her worried face, and back to Emmaline again in uncertainty.

"Fine. I see how this is," she pushed herself up again. The very air we were breathing seemed to crackle and pop with electricity. "Although I guess you can call me a fool for thinking I had people to help me after I helped you." and with that, she stalked angrily from the room, back rigid and fists clenched, and I could've sworn I'd seen thin strands of lightening coursing around her body.

A strange sound dragged through the comforting darkness and into my ears, buzzing in one of the most annoying ways. I grit back a yawn and buried my face into a pillow of sorts, but the sound still persisted. A groan sounded from the back of my throat as my conscience woke against my will, the yawn I was holding back finally breaking through as I stretched my limbs and rubbed open my bleary eyes.

A thin blanket was wrapped around me, just barely keeping out the chill that seemed to have settled over the place like a mantle. Logan's green jacket had been rolled up into a pillow and placed on Izzy's lap, who was now sitting against the wall on the table I had cleared off earlier. Her head was resting against her shoulder, but her breathing was deep and slow; she wasn't the source of the noise. A frown creased my brow and a growl gathered in my throat as I noticed Logan leaning back in a chair set against the table, snoring his head off. I reached over and grabbed his folded up jacket as I poked my Desert Beast, Sandy, awake, tossing it in my hand a couple of times.

"What do you think?" I whispered to her. She let out a growl and pawed at me before curling up even tighter and covering her face with her wing.

"Yeah, I thought so too." I placed the coat carefully over his face to muffle the noise before pulling my backpack out and rummaging through it.

"Heeey, what was that for? I was having the best sleep of my life." I turned around to see Logan pulling the jacket of his face after a snort or two.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't think you would notice. You were too busy doing your best chainsaw imitation." I said as I shoved the old pair of earmuffs back into my pack. I almost believed the slight hurt tone in his voice.

"What time is it?" I stifled a yawn behind my hand, gazing around the room, but everything looked the same. Logan pulled out a gold pocketwatch from his black button-up shirt and said, "Oh, about three o' clock."

"In the afternoon?"

"No duh."

"Why in the world would we be sleeping at a time like this?! What if more of them came and broke down the door? What if we can't get out of here? Shouldn't we-"

He pocketed his watch while I was rambling and reached under the table to pull two cans of chicken soup and tossed one to me.

"Sounds like you need to eat," he smirked. "You have been looking a bit peaky."

I rolled my eyes before I pulled back the lid and gulped down the chicken and noodles, too hungry to care how bone cold the broth was.

"Did you over-exert yourself?" I asked around a mouthful of noodles a couple of minutes later, eyeing the fresh, gleaming bandages under the unbuttoned part of his shirt.

"Pssssh, _no_. I don't faint from things like that. Unfortunately they had to be changed after you sobbed all over me this morning." he replied coolly as he pulled on his jacket, but I noticed a subtle frown starting to crease his face. He grinned slightly again as I choked on a piece of chicken after I heard his response. A light flush began to creep up the back of my neck and into my cheeks, so I popped open the tab on the other can he tossed and took a swig of orange juice to avoid answering.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me of something," Logan continued, "Look, I know you've been through a lot being trapped in this hellhole with even more brainless excuses for human beings, and that there's going to be more hell to pay, but I would appreciate it if you would find another shoulder to cry, or jump, on." his harsh words jarred me, especially as he was looking uncharacteristically serious. A prickle of shame and embarrassment became stuck in the back of my mind as I remembered the lonely hallway I found him in, and he thought of how long he could've possibly stayed there, left to die somewhere nobody knew about. And at how foolishly I had been acting.

_How long has he known nothing but beatings the entire time he's been here?_ I nodded curtly and downed the rest of my juice in two swallows, tossing the can away before I pulled out a small bag of cat food for Sandy and some squishy red meat for Snowy. My skin started to prick uncomfortably as he grew more tense, glancing at me in a cold way as if he expected me to jump him again. I tried to work open my mouth to say something, but the stony silence seemed to wrench my jaws shut. The chair creaked as he prepared to get up, but the sound of fabric scraping against the wall brought our attention to Izzy, who was sliding down from her sitting position on the table. A welcome laugh burst out of the two of us as she fell behind his chair with a loud exclamation of "Sea monkeys!" as she scrambled around on the floor.

"Have a good nap Miss Moon?" Logan chortled.

"Shut up," she snapped, picking herself and straightening herself out. "And you too!" That only made me laugh harder.

"You got everything we need?" she said loudly.

"I think so. But I wouldn't mind raiding that pharmacy." Logan chuckled, still grinning. "There might be a bit more room left in your purse."

"Wait…where are we going?" I inquired as Izzy loaded another mag she had found into her gun.

"Nowhere yet actually," she replied. "I checked outside while you were sleeping and there's a lot more corpses out there that we can handle, so there's nothing to do but sit them out I suppose."

"So we're stuck?"

"Pretty much."

"Of course…" I groaned. "Okay, so where do you think we'd be going if we could?"

"Ermm, well…we tried discussing it awhile ago, but we didn't really agree on anything. And we were assuming we had the means to leave the main part of Marleybone in the first place." Logan replied, adjusting the shoulder strap for the sheath that held his Lance.

"So I decided that we're going to stop by my house in Knight's Court to find a car, and some of the spare weapons I have." Isabella cut him off. "After that, I'm sure we'll have more space outside of the city limits to be thinking of getting off-world."

"But…wait," I started.

"Hey, Star," Logan chimed in. "I found this awhile ago and thought it'd make a nice present." he handed me my Umbra Blade, cleaned and clad in its intricately designed sheath.

"Uh, thanks," I mumbled, "Now can I ask you-"

"You know of any side entrances nearby? I'd hate to find out there were and they came in here while we're sleeping." Izzy asked, peering into the bloodied pharmacy.

"I think there was another exit through this way, and it led out there…" his voice trailed off as they continued talking on their way in, but I wasn't paying attention anymore. My eyes were drawn to the splayed figures on the floor, the pools of blood drying to a deep, deep red. A familiar shell of numbness settled around me like a second skin as my eyes settled on my fallen friend, and almost instinctively I grabbed some extra lab coats and covered their heads and shoulders. It was the only mourning ritual I could show.

"No way! If we head towards Ravenwood, it's a death sentence for us!" Logan cried out. "And by 'us,' I mean me, and Fallon I suppose. Do you know what they do to people who came out of a mental institution if they didn't have anywhere to hold them? They don't care if you're actually crazy or not."

_Here we go again,_ I thought, rolling my eyes as I walked back to them.

"The guards will be able to figure out where we came from if we show up there, and when they do, it's either a stab in the heart or zombie bait." he continued animatedly.

"Fine then, where do _you _suggest we go?" Izzy replied tartly. "I can cover for the two of you and pull some strings, you'll be fine."

"Isabella Moon, if you had any real inkling of the power that put me in this straightjacket, you'd realize just how foolish you sound," he said hotly, running a hand through his hair again. "Besides, I already know a lot about the Floating Land, and I know it's not the top vacation spot of the year, especially in spring. It'll be a lot emptier and I know some abandoned places to hole out for awhile. I _know _how to survive there, so trust me when I say it's a much better option to wait this out."

"HEY! Don't I get a say in this?" I yelled, breaking up their fight. They turned to me and looked at me in a both annoyance and surprise, clearly not expecting me to care where we ended up.

"Not now sweetie, mommy and daddy are trying to talk." Logan said dryly. I rushed forward to place myself between then as Isabella growled and swung her fist at him, but he was too quick for her.

"I just want to say that there's only two places I want to check out, then we can go wherever. But I just want to get to Barker Street soon, since it's the nearest."

"You want us to go _further _into the city?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"I just want to make sure that Bones is okay, then we can get off this hunk of rock, I know he's got a car balloon. After that…"

"I wish we could, well not really, but that'd put all of us at risk, and it could be all for nothing. He could've been bitten or killed and his car could've been taken." Logan argued as he walked towards a side door and jiggled the handle. "Might as well move something over this, I don't like the looks of that lock."

My jaw dropped at his nonchalantness, pools of rage bubbling under my skin. I grabbed him by the shoulder and dragged him around with all my strength.

"E-excuse me? What kind of talk is that? Wouldn't you want to find the few friends out there you're willing to die for? I am! And 221 B. Barker Street isn't that far. I know we can get in and out without getting hurt." At this point I was starting to ramble, turning from him to Izzy and back, but neither of them looked happy about the idea.

"Here's the thing sweet cheeks," he took my hand off his shoulder and leaned forward slightly, narrowing his eyes. "I don't have any friends out there." He raised his eyebrow again at Izzy, who looked uncomfortable. I wasn't sure if it was more because of the fact that she agree with him rather than anything else.

She opened her mouth to speak, but I ended up cutting her off. "Then I'm not going with you." I folded my arms over my chest and whirled around, stomping back toward our table to get comfortable. Logan only sighed as he shrugged and turned back to the door.

"Suit yourself." he mumbled.

Izzy shook her head as she shrugged at Logan and left him to block the door, walking back to me and plopping down on the table next to me.

"Hey, wanna know something weird?" She asked as Logan began shifting some heavy tables past the sliding door.

"What?" I grumbled.

"I think there's a bathroom back there with a decent sized sink. You kinda look like you could do with a wash." she pulled out a washrag and a bottle of shampoo and soap, my saviors. "I'll keep an eye for you while he does all the dirty work. And if you toss your clothes outside, I can clean them up with my wand."

"It already sounds like heaven." I ran my fingers through my own brown hair, as dark as freshly turned soil but much more straw-like and flat. She pointed me towards a door I didn't notice much before only a few feet away from us. I quickly got up and peered inside, where a toilet and sink sat a little grimy but still useable. "But don't think I'm going to forget about that argument over where we're going. I have important people too you know." I added before shutting myself inside, scooting a stepstool to hold the door closed since the lock was broken.

"It's nice to feel clean." I said to myself quietly as I scrubbed my hair dry. It wasn't exactly a cascading sheet of molten chocolate, but it already felt a lot cleaner than it had in days. I straightened out my boots and donned my hat so my wet hair wouldn't get me a cold before gently pushing the door open.

"You're really leaving?" Isabella's voice sounded concerned as she walked past the door, so close I grabbed the knob and pulled it back as quietly as I could.

"Might as well since there's nothing else to do around here." Logan replied.

"Where are you going anyway?" she asked. "You're not…going to leave us behind are you?"

Logan let out a laugh. "Nah, you guys would miss me too much. And I'd hate to disappoint the start of what could be an…interesting alliance." I could already see her eyes rolling as she let out a quiet scoff and grumpily handed him a jangling ring of keys.

"The iron-wrought one goes to the Greyhound, so try not to wreck it."

"I know how to use a steering wheel." he mumbled as he pocketed them and walked in view of the bathroom door. "If you're really serious about sticking together, head towards Expedition Outfitters, the one on Houndslow Way. Nobody ever goes in there.

Until then, Miss Moon, I shall be eagerly counting down the minutes until the three of us are reunited." Logan made quite a spectacle of a flourishing bow and an exaggerating English accent before heading to the sliding pharmacy door.

Now it was my turn to sound concerned; much more than Izzy had sounded. I quietly pulled the door back and hurried to the toilet, pulling out a pocket carrying case for pills as I went to empty its contents.

"Everything okay in there?" Izzy asked as the toilet gurgled in a weird, clogging sound.

"Uh, yeah I'm fine. I'll be out in a minute." I shouted back, hurriedly pulling out a different bottle from my backpack that was shoved behind the full-length mirror. My hands reached inside and groped around for the inside pocket I needed, almost poking Snowy in the eye in my hurry to find one of the precious bottles I risked my life for.

One of my fingers brushed against the bulging part of the bag, almost tipping the others over due to the fact that there were so many of them. I quickly stuffed a couple of shirts over the pocket before I grabbed one and pressed down on the cap, twisting it and dumping a portion of the pills as I searched for the crumpled papers I had shoved into an outer pocket.

_For once, you better make it back Logan, _my brow creased in a dark determination as I hurriedly separated out the multicolored pills and assorted the right amount the papers said into a small row of cubes labeled with the days of the week and time. _I know what you're afraid of, and there's no way in _hell_ I'm letting you run around alone for long. _


	7. Chapter 6

**Welcome back to the next thrilling and chilling (okay, not so much -.-) installment of The End Mwahahahaha :D This turned out longer than I expected, so I decided to split this two part PoV chapter into two different parts. The next one with Fally's PoV is coming soon :3**

The End

Chapter Six: Decay and Rot

June 5th 2012

8:39 pm. Day 1 cont.

The soft glow of the enchanted wands and elegantly wrought chandeliers flickered to life in the twilight, the streaks of red and orange finally fading into a deep, midnight blue as the starlight began to glitter upon the contours of the newly made Spiral Cup, its spirals of light and dust adding a soothing glow into the mix. The very tip of Wysteria's farthest moon, Sinesis, was already peeking into the arena through the hidden roof of the Hall, one that acted like a one way window to the sky so the rain and wind would be kept out. Soon, its sister moons, Villosa and Calleria, would crest the top of the building during its climb into the sky, where the three would align at midnight to signal the official beginning of summer in this part of the Spiral.

"I don't suppose the Festival of Moonlight is still going ahead?" Jazz asked as she pulled open her mini chess set and began playing with Nalia.

"Unless the dead suddenly drop…dead again, I don't see it happening." she meowed softly, moving one of her black pawns forward.

"Of course they had to attack the day I got my perfect dress." she grumbled lightly, moving her knight to take one of Nalia's bishops.

"Have either of you seen Em around lately?" I asked as I frowned at the book I was reading, realized I hadn't seen her for a couple of hours.

Jazz shrugged. "I thought she left to another area of the Hall to cool off for a bit."

"I have not seen your cousin around here either." Kisai said as he settled onto his sleeping bag. "Perhaps she went after her?"

"Maybe. That would be something she would do." Jasmine replied as she got to her feet. She mumbled something about getting a snack before bed and weaved through the crowd towards one of the food stations, but not before bumping into a familiar face; the youngest Theurgist from before. He muttered a quick apology before running to the other side of the Hall, leaving my sister looking a little shell-shocked. She shook her head slightly as if to clear it of water and scurried to the snack tent.

"I have been meaning to ask you something Amber, but I wasn't exactly sure how." Kisai noted as he watched her poking around the tent. "What…happened?"

My breath caught in my throat. "What? What do you mean?"

"Something must've happened that made you…overreact like before. Looking back, I don't think the situation was nearly as bad as I thought it was. More like one of those, what did you call them when you first came here? Rub downs?"

"_Pat _downs. Airport security does them every now and then." I corrected him a little sharply. "And I didn't 'overreact,' I was protecting her."

"But did you see either of them actually…_messing_ with her?" he asked.

"Not to mention that we were in a crowded room. Hardly seems the place for _that _to occur." Nalia said thoughtfully before I could open my mouth.

"Fine, you guys win." I grumbled, crossing my arms over my chest and scooting further down the wall I was leaning on. I turned back to my book, but a few sentences later and I could barely take in more than a few words. My spine started to prick uncomfortably as the hairs on the back of my neck rose slightly as memories of our first few weeks here came flooding back, particularly the unpleasant one that had to happen to my sweet sister of all people.

"Well?" she prompted.

"When we first came here, there was an…ahh…incident, with one of the professors. Droors. You know he was under a spell when Lord Bramble was in power right?" They nodded. "A couple of weeks later when we were investigating the disappearance of the Spiral Cup, she was about to inadvertently uncover Droors as the suspect, so he kidnapped her and held her for ransom."

They both raised their eyebrows alarmingly at that and shifted uncomfortably.

"No, don't think that! He didn't…but still…something he did must've scared the hel.l out of her…but she never said what."

"Hope you guys like chocolate!" Jazz announced in a sing-songy chirp as she bounced back with a box of Oreos and chocolate milk, putting an end to that conversation. "Sorry, I was in a chocolate mood. Hope you don't mind." Her back was faced determinedly towards the young Healer as he prescribed medicine to an elderly couple, who also just happened to be gazing around the room in any direction but ours. I munched thoughtfully on a cookie as Nalia started up a different conversation, asking us what we'd do if we could go anywhere we wanted if this whole mess didn't start and the term was over.

"I think back to Ravenwood." Jazz mumbled around her mouthful of cookie. "There's still a lot more about the Life school I don't know. Not to mention I love being an off-world chaperone." she grinned slightly as she grew lost in thought.

"I hope you're not remembering the time we got lost in Savaarstad Pass." I warned her.

"Heehee, I was actually." she giggled. "Oooh, you guys won't believe what happened there…" I thwacked her with my pillow before she could even start, but she managed to speak around it. "A couple of students got lost near the Boar camp and ended up tied on a spit, so she tries to sneak in to rescue them an-"

"You be quiet!" I stuffed another cookie in her mouth, but knowing my sister, that wouldn't be enough.

"And then she ends up trapped there herself, until the leader of the camp goes head over hoof for her-"

"I think they've heard enough out of you!" I grabbed her by the arm and turned her around so our backs were to the snickering pair.

"What do you think you're doing? You know I hate it when you tell that story!" I whispered furiously to her ear.

"I'm just trying to help." her innocent green eyes never fooled me. "You guys have been stressing out a lot lately, so I thought I'd lighten the mood some. You're always worrying over me or some other thing…"

Her words faded in an instant as something whooshed at an incredible speed behind me, barely giving me time to gasp before a hand latched onto my arm and teleported me to a dark, cluttered room in under a second.

"Stop _doing_ that!" I groaned weakly as a fellow Necromancer named Flint Shadowweaver let go of my arm, leaving me to stumble to a box to sit on. Speed porting always made my bones turn to jelly. "What is it now?"

Several more Necromancers, about ten to fifteen, clad in varying shades of black, silver, and red were scattered around the room, but I recognized only one more, Nora Shadowweaver, his sister. She shook back her blonde hair and turned to him with an amused glance.

"Sorry bro, but that was exactly one point two seconds. Your record still stands." she smirked.

"Hello?" I grumbled.

"Hi there. Have a good day?" Nora replied, then her expression turned serious. "Since you didn't get the memo this morning, what Necro's we have left in the building are gathering here for an emergency meeting."

"You're the last one." Flint said, peering around from behind his dark gray bangs. "I don't suppose you know where Moonsong went?"

"No, she left awhile ago. And I guess I don't need to ask what this meeting is about." I answered, knotting my arms over my chest again.

"The dead, naturally. I don't know who's tried to speak to them before and who hasn't, but if you were too dense to even try, we need to discuss this lack of communication with the dead." Nora said crisply, gazing around the room with bright green eyes that glinted in the lamp light.

"I haven't been able to connect with them at all since this started. Galen thought he'd try a salt circle, but that didn't work…" one of the fellow Necro's spoke up.

"Let me guess, he's not here too?" I asked.

"No. When he saw they weren't listening to him even with the salt, we both tried to run away. I could've sworn he was right behind me, but when I looked back…" her words faded into a sob as she wiped away the tears that began flowing. "What's wrong with us? Why can't we control them like we can with the others? Even the Fodder outbreak of '09 wasn't nearly as bad as this!" The other Necromancers started nodding to one another and whispering, casting furtive glances around as if they expected more corpses to appear right in front of them.

"That's what I was afraid of." Flint whispered. "I don't know anything for sure, and I've only heard rumors, but I might have an idea of why they won't listen." The whispering stopped and all eyes turned to Flint.

"Any respectable zombie would…naturally be able to spread their disease through breaking the skin somehow, even to people, and we've always managed to keep ourselves safe while trying to reach the lost soul within. That's what a Necromancer does after all."

"Hurry it up." Nora groused, her head in hand as if she was bored by the proceedings.

"So it led me to believe that if we can't talk to the animated corpses on any level, it must mean there's no soul left to talk to. Not even a lost one."

_Oh no…no! _I thought, eyes widening. There was only one type of zombie who could ever revert to such a state. _I can't believe it! How could-_

"As confirmation of my theory, I would like all of us to group our magic together to look into the other side of the Aura, the Living Side that shows souls still in their bodies. That's why I've gathered you all here." Flint spoke above the sudden upswing in whispers. "Since most of you are Grandmaster or higher, I'm just going to assume you know how."

A quiet hush settled over the room as the Necro's split into several groups, broken only by their faint whispers that were no more louder than a breeze. Flint's cool hand slipped into mine, and almost immediately I was plunged into the dark void that made up the Decaying Aura yet again.

Everything faded to black except for the small but bright points of light speckled across the dark canvas of the world, one that gradually twisted and warped into the shapes of buildings, roads, cars, and other worldly things that were cold. The only warm things were the souls of the people still alive and the various other animals that were escaping into the wild. I called out to my sister, overjoyed when I saw that her aura was still a pure golden in its core, despite the wisps of shadowy smoke that threatened to consume it. My voice only echoed into nothingness, and she gave no indication that she heard me even as she searched the building for my whereabouts.

"What?" I asked as Flint suddenly dug his elbow into my ribs. He nodded towards a patch of sleeping bags occupied by a family and their small children. More feelings of shame and guilt threatened to spill over at the sight of two Theurgists' auras, the youngest and oldest from before. Their auras were a warm, welcome green of kindness despite the events that unfolded, not the dim gray that preluded acts of evil like I had expected them to be. The older one of them looked around as if he could sense I was near, but as Nora yelled to draw our attention to her I had to turn away.

"Did you see it?" Nora called from her perch on the corner of the roof. She pointed up towards the slope that led to Pegasus Place, and the Headmistress's office. More of the black figures that were the undead staggered particularly close around that area, drawn in by the commotion the owners of the souls were making over there.

"So it's true…they really have no souls." he muttered, his light brown eyes turning to chips of flint as he narrowed them. The office of the Headmistress was almost unrecognizable behind the veil of shadows, a veil that was draped over the building by souls of nothing. Even a person with the most evilest intentions had some kind of spark of intelligence, of self-awareness, but not these undead. They were just empty shells of meat compelled to eat by the most primal of instincts, so unlike the undead of the Spiral that still retained after they died. Any person they bit faded to black right before our eyes if they weren't lucky enough to pass on before they changed. I let out a startled gasp as Flint broke out of the Aura, pulling his sister and two others along with him before he moved on to the other Necromancers.

"Listen to me, all of you." he spoke in a trembling voice. "No one is to speak of this to anyone that isn't a part of the Necromancer's Order, Wraith's Class or lower. Not your friends, your family, your teachers, or anyone else until we can find a way to meet in a year to discuss how to find a way to cure these undead. Assuming we all can survive that long."

"Why not? If people knew how serious this is, they'd-" a silver haired girl said from the back.

"They'd what exactly? Panic that's what." the girl flinched as he rounded on her with those stone cold eyes and voice of steel. "Nobody is to speak of this. _Nobody_. Or the dead will be the least of your worries."

"Hey…calm down bro, it was just a question." Nora was looking pretty worried now, placing a hand on his shoulder to try to calm him down. He merely glared at her before yanking open the trapdoor to the rooms below as he disappeared in a flash. Nora just shook her head before casting an apologetic glance and descending after her brother. One by one the rest of the Necro's slowly followed her into the hallway, until I was the last person left in the room.

_We were doing so well…is this really the end of the Spiral? _I thought, pulling down my white sleeves and rubbing my arms as a sudden chill came over me. A second later I was bolting down the stairs and past the Quarantine hallway back to my sister. If they were back after all this time, guarding my sister just became top priority.

"Em! Where were you? It's the middle of the night!" Nalia said as the blue haired Diviness shifted closer to our sleeping spot. "Are you okay? You looked like you've just seen a ghost."

Her lip trembled slightly as she glanced around quickly, leaning in to speak in a hushed and strained voice.

"I need to tell you something. Something serious." she started.

"Was Diana with you?" I interrupted. Emmaline nodded.

"Yes, she's fine. She's somewhere around here. But we need to leave."

"Not this again…"

"Let me finish!" she gasped. Her expression looked haggard, almost like she had aged in the hours she was gone. The skittish, wary look in her wide eyes soon spread across our little group as she spoke in hushed whispers, whispers of a horror beyond comprehension.

"I told you something was wrong with this place." she finished hoarsely.

"That's sick, really sick…" Jazz whispered, her eyes stretching wide again.

"I…I can't believe this…are you certain you saw-" Kisai began, but the sight of an all too familiar profile sauntered up to us yet again.

"Is everything well? You looked like you were discussing something serious." Benedict Glendemming asked.

"Y-yes, we're fine." I gulped.

"I am glad to hear it. It does not do me any good to see any of my pupils looking so downcast." he bowed slightly. "I had hoped to find you five awake. Several of my other students are spreading the news that the evacuation buses will be up and running tomorrow morning since our mission is completed. Any student or campus worker with their I.D's can board and leave for Ravenwood."

"That sounds like good news indeed." Kisai agreed quietly. "But what about the citizens here?"

"The people already inside the Hall are welcome to join us, there's plenty of room." Benedict answered. "But I'm afraid the others that haven't been able to find their way here will have to be left behind. There's only so many the buses can hold and the safety of all students and faculty must remain my top priority.

Which is why I would like to remind you not to go out on your own. It's dangerous out there in this deepening chaos…you never know who could turn into your enemy. Good night, and sleep well." he bowed with a flourish again before he strolled away, looking back with a certain knowing look in his eye. A shudder passed through the five of us like a wave as we each recalled the events that had unfolded secretly behind our backs, one that stayed with us as we whispered of ways to find our own way out of here without getting caught.

"So that settles things?" I whispered as we tried to settle down for the night.

"Yes, I think so. Marleybone is bound to be even worse with such a large city, but if going with the Duelmaster isn't an option, I don't know of any other place we can go." Nalia affirmed.

"Marleybone it is then." Jazz yawned, but she looked too scared to sleep. My stomach squirmed now that I had some quiet time to think about where to head inside the city, where I could find him.

_We're going to find him alive Amby. Just you wait, _I jolted slightly as Jazz's voice seemed to echo around my ears, a phenomenon commonly known as whisper chatting.

_I hope you're right. _I answered. I heard Emmaline sigh and a slight click as she tucked something under her shirt. In the rising moonlight, she still looked a little worse for wear, but something seemed different, like she was…oddly pleased about something. What it over our decision to leave?


	8. Chapter 6, Part Two

The End

Chapter Six: Decay and Rot, Part Two

June 5th, 2012

11:46 pm, Day 1 cont.

The smallest of skritching sounds disturbed my rest for the third time in an hour since I had tried to fall asleep, but the sound always found its way into my ears to clog my brain. I moaned and pulled my old pair of earmuffs on tighter; my body couldn't seem to get enough of sleep lately, and the result was that it was turning me cranky.

"Can you cut that out for _at least _half an hour?" I almost whined to Izzy, who was cleaning off some of the blood spots that sunk into one of her boots.

"I'm not being loud. Maybe you're just being sensitive." she replied with her voice strained not to snap.

"_Something's_ driving me crazy." I got up from our table in a leap and began circling the room for the umpteenth time, but nothing I did seemed to wear me out even after another circuit. "Sooo…where'd you say Logan went again?"

"He said something about wanting to scout ahead in case there are any roadblocks or a spare car he could find." she didn't look up from scrubbing her boot. "He said he wouldn't go far."

"Pffft, what does he know about scouting?" I scoffed. "Man, if I still had my Swiftshadow wings we'd already be out of here and halfway through Marleybone."

"I hope you weren't planning on carrying us." Izzy smirked.

"_No_, but I'd know a lot more about what's going on out there than anybody else if I could just get in the air." I rolled my eyes slightly before taking a seat in one of the empty chairs.

"You really like flying that much?" she asked a minute later.

"Yeah, I might not look it, but I've flown in a lot of competitions before. You won't believe how many trophies I had won. I even beat the Catcher twins trying to fly through a storm! They'd given up only fifty yards away from the target ring, but my pair of 'skinny black raven wings' and I managed to fly through a gale before I managed to snatch it. It was one of the few things I wasn't yelled at for being good at it before I got thrown in here." I rubbed one of my eyes as I leaned back as memories of soaring through clouds and countless race courses blossomed in my mind like the Frost Flowers on Winter's Eve. My eyelids slowly fluttered shut as the weightlessness of soaring seemed to fly on memories' wings back to me; the wingbeats of the people who flew beside me, the sudden, heart stopping drop in the art of diving, the dogfights, the grace of the Skydancers that performed aerial acrobatics even I couldn't hope to dream of doing one day, and the deep, vast whiteness of the clouds that held just as many creatures of lore and mysteries as the ocean that roiled beneath it. Maybe more.

"The Catcher twins? You don't mean Jeremy Firecatcher and Thomas Icecatcher do you?" she snorted.

"The very same. If only I had a camera with me when I landed, you would've loved the embarrassed looks on their faces!" I snickered, savoring the flavor of that particular memory of when I almost crashed into the hover platform with the white and red target ring and holding it up for all to see.

"I can imagine it already…heehee, glad you were there to put them in their place." Izzy laughed. I settled deeper into the blanket I wrapped around me, poking at the makeshift pillow before finally closing my eyes to get some more rest.

_Skritch, skritch…squeak, crick…_

_Not that again! Where the heck is that coming from?! _My eyes snapped open as the faint scratching sound echoed around the room again.

"Was that the noise you were talking about?" Isabella pondered, putting down her shoe brush and pulling her heels back on.

"Grrr, I've had enough of that!" I growled as I picked up the metal bat Logan had left behind. "Can you search that side of the room for mice or something? I'm not leaving until I find whatever's making that noise and kill it!"

I stomped through the shelves as she began to search through the little bathroom and under the tables, poking at the piles of paper and pulling open box lids. Her wandering search drew her further and further away, until the emptiness in the air rang around me like a gong.

"Izzy? Izzzzzy?" I called to her as I realized she had stopped searching. "What's the matter, Sandy got your tongue?"

She stood stock still near the entrance to one of the aisles, her hand resting inches away from a hissing tan fuzzball with wings that was perched on a shelf. The scratching quickly turned to crackling as I walked up to her.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I took notice of the mask of horror on her face and fear dancing in her eyes.

"Helllllooooo-oh…" my voice faded as I gazed at the scene unfolding in the pharmacy, the crackling of the glass as the mass of dead bodies pushed against it the only noise I could hear. Faint clear threads splintered along the glass like a disjointed ripple, spreading along its surface faster than a rocket taking off.

"Oh my god….they're actually breaking in…" she whispered, that dazed look still clinging to her face.

"Weren't they enchanted?" my voice was no higher than hers, but something must've alarmed her, for she suddenly shivered like she had been electrified and bolted back towards the table.

"Hurry up and start gathering up our things! We have to get out of here before they crowd up the hallway too much more." she ordered as her hands scrambled to pick up the various blankets and unopened cans of food that were lying around. I grabbed Sandy by the scruff and shoved her unceremoniously back into my backpack as I went, tossing the soap, towels, and cat food after her. _Why didn't I do this sooner? _Alarm flared inside me as one of the doors creaked open before slamming shut again, but deflated as soon as it had come after I heard his voice.

"You shouldn't go this way, there's zombies out there!" Logan called from the drugstore. I shoved the last of the blankets back into my pack and raced towards him with Isabella on my heels. He was leaning against the door that had been shored up with tables, crates, and whatever else we had found earlier, now scattered about the room since he had to use the door to exit. Logan looked out of breath and dusty as if he had just been dragged along the ground, but aside from a good scrape on his cheek and neck he didn't look like he had any serious injuries.

Izzy and I threw ourselves against the moveable countertop and slowly scooted it against the door, quickly followed by the slightly smaller table that Logan moved over before tossing whatever we felt was heavy.

"No time for that, move!" he shouted, grabbing us by the shoulders and steering us around the crumpled figures on the red floor.

"They'll break in!" I yelled back as I glanced at the crumbling door. Already a few arms and furless faces had poked their way in and were reaching for anyone they could grab. The door became the least of our worries though, as the once enchanted glass finally broke along its cracks and sent the corpses pressed against it tumbling over one another into the room at last.

Adrenaline pulsed through the three of us like a shockwave as their fingertips brushed against our heels, their eerie and bone chilling moans following us faster than they could push themselves up to limp after us. I threw my arms up to prevent myself from slamming into the wall as we skidded to a stop outside the blocked hallway door on the other side of the room. Logan started shoving crates out of the way to let Izzy unlock the door and stick her head out. She slammed it shut and leaned against it a heartbeat later.

"Wrong way!" she quickly bolted the door shut again and pulled out her handgun, snapping at Logan to move the boxes back as more zombies were approaching from our only exit.

"We're…trapped?" I stuttered after she shunted me along down one of the aisles.

"Think we can fight our way out?" Logan asked as he pulled his lance from his shoulder strap and held it at the ready as the undead locked on us.

"We'll find out, I guess." Izzy replied after a blast rang out, followed quickly by another that missed Logan by inches as he swung the shining blade forward.

"Just who are you aiming for?" he shot a hurt look back at her after the first zombie fell. "And don't think you're getting out of this Star!" he added, tossing the nightclub he had snatched into my fumbling fingers, but even as I staggered I was able to spin around to connect it with the head of the corpse that was behind me.

_Not hard enough, _I grit my teeth as the zombie fell against the shelf, an unpleasant _crack! _resounding as its jawbone splintered. Meanwhile Logan was practically spearing three at a time with every stab of his lance while Izzy was firing off bullets into several foreheads at once with her usual style, and grace.

_Show offs…_

"They just keep coming don't they?" Logan grumbled as he struck down another that had come up behind Isabella.

"You don't have a right to complain since you're the one who brought them here!" she lightly bonked him on the head with the butt of her gun. "Why'd you come back here anyway, I thought we were going to meet up someplace else?"

"I didn't to anything! I was trying to sneak back in here because road blocks were being set up by the police all around the main exits from Knight's Court, I couldn't get very far with the car I found. I don't go clomping around like a clown. Unlike _some_ people." he rubbed his head and swiftly glanced my way in a flash, clearly hoping I wouldn't see.

"Don't bring me into this you jerk!" I snapped as I raised the club again in his direction.

"I'm just joking…geez. When I got back, there was a guard dog in the main entrance shooting anything and everything that moved. He kept yelling and howling before he ran out of ammo, so he drew attention to himself and me since I had to try to sneak past him to get back here." he grumbled, then he smirked coldly. "He looked so…crazed. Funny how the guard of the insane went insane himself in the end."

"How come we didn't hear?" I asked as another fell from my baton, this one hard enough to crack her skull.

"How should I know? I'm guessing the glass in the front was also sound proof until he made a few cracks in the glass. They must've heard something from the other room and began trying to get in here."

"I like getting to the bottom of mysteries, but right now the only one I'm interested in is how we're getting out of here alive." Izzy interrupted, quickly stashing her guns into their holders to climb onto a shelf. "There's a lot gathering out there. I don't see how we can fight through them al-DON'T TOUCH ME!" An expression of fierce indignation spread across her face as Logan gasped quietly and leaned his lance against the shelf before grabbing her waist to push her up.

"Climb! Start climbing, both of you!" he whooped, picking his blade up again to hold some of the undead that were closing in on us. "These shelves look sturdy enough, and they're close enough to the ones built into the walls to jump to. Climb!"

He continued to strike down more corpses as I belted the nightstick and scrambled after Izzy up the wooden racks. She tugged me up by my upper arms before quickly loading up her glock to shoot down the nearest undead, giving Logan just enough time to shoulder his blade and crawl up after us.

"Whoa…careful." he muttered as the shelf began to sway; the amount of bodies pressing against it were increasing as they continued to stream in through the narrow openings, crowding through the aisles as if they wanted to flush out their prey.

"Just crawl slowly and carefully before you try to stand up on the edge here." Izzy reassured me as she prodded me to keep moving down to the end of the row.

"Here, leap for that wall chain hanging from the ceiling there, it'll give you something to grab on when you land on such a narrow space." Logan said as he scanned the farther shelf. "Back up a bit, let me go first."

The two of us shuffled back to give him room to jump, letting him strap his blade more securely before he backed up slightly before vaulting himself over the gap and grabbing onto the jingling chains that hung low from the ceiling. Izzy went next, surprising me as she managed to land somewhat neatly before snatching the chain, even in heels.

"You'll be fine, we're here to catch you." she called over, scooching over to give me room to land and holding her arms out. I waited a few more seconds for the shelf to stop shaking before teetering to my legs, holding my arms aloft to balance myself as I backed up and took the leap at a run. My feet thudded on the wood with a few inches to spare, their arms snagging me as I latched onto the chains to keep me from falling.

"Well, it's a lot steadier here, but…now what?" I breathed a sigh of relief as I found my footing on the boards.

"Ummmm…" Izzy murmured, gazing around the floor of the room as if she could spot any openings. "I don't see any…"

"Up there! That looks wide enough to fit in." Logan interrupted, pointing to an air vent that was hanging halfway loose off its hinges.

"Back in there?" I sighed, almost whined as he unhooked his lance and began poking at the covering. After several sharp stabs the covering snapped off its bolts and clattered to the floor below, bouncing off the head of one of the zombies below.

"We'll jump in the same order, 'kay? I'll pull you two up once I get up there." he added, unhooking one of the wall chains and looping it around his shoulder before chattering at us to leap back to the closest middle box shelf that was higher up, closer to the air duct. After clambering back onto the swaying shelves, he swung the chain a few times before flinging the hooked end onto the whirling fan blades, catching it right in between them and grinding them to a halt. He tugged on it a couple of times to make sure it wouldn't become loose, then swung himself into the square hole after climbing up the links.

"I'll be right here. Just take your time." he called, squishing in the small space between the opening and the fan to reach down and help us up. Isabella went first again, jumping as high as she could before she latched onto the chain and hung there for several seconds before climbing into the vent with Logan's help.

"Don't look down Fally." Izzy reassured me as she peeked from inside the vent. I nodded and stepped back two more paces before taking the jump at a run, snaring the swaying chain with my arms and wrapping my legs around it as I found my grip. Against my better judgement and Izzy's advice, I looked down until the motion of the links became completely still.

A sea of gray and red swam below me as the corpses compacted inside the room, knocking boxes off their shelves as several were knocked over, others twisting around as the various animals that were kept sleeping inside the overturned backpacks and bags escaped their confined space with shrill cries and growls. Several firecats clawed their way up the shelves like we had, while others like the horse mounts and tigers forced their way through the throng and into the hallways. I squeaked as a massive spurt of blood splattered from the hallway that we had blocked off, followed by crunchings and tearings from frightened roars.

"Come on Fallon, lift up your hand and pull yourself up." Izzy calmly ordered.

"I…I can't move." I croaked as I watched one of the firecats spew a spurt of flame onto the body of a dog that had been reaching for it. The zombie staggered as its tattered clothes caught alight, bumping into a couple of others as it fell and engulfing them in flames that were quickly building up.

"Hey, look up at me okay? Keep your attention on me." Izzy said, snapping her fingers to draw my attention away from the orange glow. "Take one hand off at a time and keep your legs wrapped around the chain."

I gulped and nervously raised my right hand to pull myself upwards, grabbing higher up on the chain before raising my left and repeating the process.

"Nice and easy there." she encouraged me as my hand came within an inch of hers.

A metallic, splintering groan brought a surprised and horrified look on her face as I dropped a couple of inches, then feet as the fan covering hooked onto the chain broke and caught on Logan's shoulder.

"Fallon!" Izzy screamed as I fell, clinging onto the links that came to a sudden stop just out of arm's reach of the zombies; Logan had caught the covering while Izzy strained to pull the chain upwards.

"Climb! No time for dawdling, just get up here as fast as you can!" he yelled, bracing himself against the walls of the air vent. Exhausted as I was, fear spurned me to scramble upwards until I was only two feet away from them. The effort of hanging onto cold steel was quickly draining my strength away.

"Geez, why do all women have to be so heavy?" Logan grunted as he struggled with the effort of holding me up.

_That_ renewed my energy, and apparently Izzy's as well. "I'll show you heavy!" I snarled, practically barreling up the last length of the chain to sink my fists into his stomach while she growled furiously at him, sending electrical sparks flying from her hands while shooting him her warning glare.

"Sorry, sorry! Leave killing me to the dead please." he parleyed, rubbing his gut with one arm and throwing the other over his head.

"Hmpf." I snorted, folding my arms and turning resolutely away from him in the cramped space. "Now where?"

"I think I might know a way that leads outside." Isabella replied, digging in her bag to find a flashlight. "Although I haven't really studied the ventilation system, so stick close."

She led the way down the three way intersection we occupied, turning right and crawling forward until we came upon another and led us left. Right, straight, right again, left, the twists and turns became so complex and confusing I lost track of the route we were taking. I could only hope Izzy knew where she was going, as some parts of the metal were growing increasingly hot and freezing cold in others.

"Almost there you two. I think we just need to climb up this part and then we're out." she grunted as she squeezed into a vertical shaft, then climbed a few paces up some ladder rungs to give us space to wiggle in. _Wait…_

"A _ladder?_ What's a ladder doing in here?" Logan scoffed incredulously as I followed after Izzy.

"When this institute was undergoing some renovations a couple of decades ago, part of the Underground movement that infiltrated this place added more space and several helpful tools along the ventilation shafts, to help those that were trapped in here find their way out. The building was fairly new, but I heard there were several problems from people suffocating in the underground portion. I guess they knew what was really going on behind the walls, so they built their own secret passageways to help the wrongly accused escape." she explained as she climbed, then stopped to look back at me all of the sudden. "Hey…I _was_ going to tell you about this sooner Fally. But since Bones was personally on the case, I thought your appeal would've actually been taken seriously this time…" Logan made a disgruntled sound in the back of his throat at that.

"It's fine." I mumbled, but even I couldn't convince myself. It stung to know that the perfect escape route was surrounding me all this time. The steel was hard and solid, so anyone crawling through it wouldn't make a sound unless they were intent on thumping around, and all the plumbing that wrapped around it would muffle any made.

"Can you two keep going? I'm not really enjoying the view down here." he groused to us, but I welcomed the break in the uncomfortable tension. And the chance to sink my foot in his face.

"Are you _trying_ to get yourself killed today?!" I shouted angrily, jabbing at him with my left boot, but he kept dodging out of the way and almost fell back down while Izzy laughed her head off.

"That's enough Fallon, we're almost out. You can kill him when we have more space." she snickered, poking me softly with her own heel. I stuck my tongue out at him before I resumed the climb; it took a lot of restraint to keep going after he stuck his own tongue out at me in response.

We continued up and over the side of the vent, wiggled into a small vent, dropped down into a wider space that connected to several other chutes, back into a smaller tunnel, and we were free. Finally free of this damned building of horrors. I poked my head out into a filthy wind that gusted all around me, blowing bits of paper and dead leaves into my face as I toppled onto the pavement. Bright, cold stars struggled to twinkle through the wisps of cloud and harsh light that hung low over the top of the Marleybone skyline, where some of the massive skyscrapers had caught fire. Airships, helicopters, and freight ships were flying as fast as they could into the air, but even as I watched those very ships were either crashing of their own accord, or from the electrical barrier that had been erected in such a short time around the main city. Tanks rolled by, coldly crushing anyone that got in their way without a second glance while grouped members of the SWAT team were clubbing and shooting down anyone who didn't follow their orders.

"I think I know where we ended up. The main entrance is over on that side of the building, so our room was there, the pharmacy there so I think I can find a smaller alleyway back towards that street…After that, we just need to get out of the main part of the city before we can leave for other worlds…" the two of them continued to triangulate our position, but as I looked around the empty parking lot we were in, an idea began to form in my mind. A couple of motorcycles were leaning against the chain link fence that kept out a few zombies that wandered into the back alley, while shouts and howls alerted me to the fact that a couple of cars piled up outside the exit to the parking lot kept out the dead and living alike.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" I turned to Izzy, raising an eyebrow towards the cycles.

"I think so." she replied, "We've got a few minutes, so hang tight while I check these out."

_I know where I am now. _I thought, my body fizzing with energy as I realized the route they had discussed would bring us closer to where I needed to go. I just needed to be patient, then I could leave for the street that was on the other side of Marleybone, the city that had rapidly turned into a war zone.


	9. Chapter 7

**Gah, this chapter is going to be horrible! I had a bad case of writer's block so it's so blah and cliche. Sorry . But I would like to come up with a cover for this story, so can someone give me average dimensions of a story cover? I know how to make one, I just don't know which size to use XD.**

The End

Chapter Seven: Through Tawny Eyes

June 5th, 2012

4:49 pm. Day 2 cont.

Emmaline's Point of View

_Stupid stupid stupid! _I thought angrily as I stomped down the hallway, hardly seeing where I was going. _You should've known nobody would help you. The last two people didn't, why in the world did you believe _they_ would? _YOU IDIOT!

I rounded the corner swiftly and barged between a couple, my ears deaf to their cries of protest and shock as some of my electricity arced across the two of them. I continued blindly down the thick crimson carpet, past a few small flights of stairs, until the walls opened up to another hallway that intersected with two others and the doorway to the Hall of the Griffin. I marched past another group of kids my age, then bounded down the steps and into the stands since the battlefield was now a triage center for minor wounds. I rounded the corner, the scent of something good was wafting through the area from another door. I jumped the last few stairs and practically ran through the arch, a bad habit that usually resulted in me bumping into someone. It never failed.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" I yelped, rubbing my red nose. The more colorful words died in my mouth as I realized I had bumped into the big guy himself, master Glendemming.

"Oh no, pardon _me_." he bowed slightly. "I should've been looking where I was going, but as I am in a rush, a more…formal apology will have to wait." More students and guards stood anxiously behind him, dressed in shining battle armor. He gently moved me out of the way with a hand on my shoulder to let them pass.

"Uhh…" I muttered, confusion filling me as they filed past.

Their bright silver armor glowed in the low light, highlighting their swords and visors that protected their face. Surprise flew through me faster than a tailwind as I saw the white rosebud set against a tangle of thorny vines that decorated their chestplates.

"Isn't that the Royal Wysterian Armor? Why would you bring-"

"It seems I have much to apologize for today, but I do not mind. I had just received permission from the Headmistress via mail dragon to use any means necessary to retrieve her students safely, and this was the best way I saw fit." Benedict cut me off, raising his voice slightly so the people lying in the cots below would hear us. Several of the patients and nurses closest to us overheard and began clapping, waving, encouraging him as he and his crew sauntered through. "Don't worry, soon our Headmistress will return and we shall all safely reach Ravenwood. I will not let any of our fellow students and faculty be left behind if I can help it." More cheers erupted as they left, leaving a trail of security and faith behind in all except me. Every single fiber in my body seemed to tingle with apprehension when he brushed past me, I had even thought I caught a sly grin as he walked out. Time seemed to have frozen during that moment, a moment where it seemed like nothing was hidden between our gazes.

Everybody, and I mean _everybody_, except for me has always seemed to admire the Duelmaster of Wysteria, and I couldn't exactly blame them. He was the top Dueler in all of Wysteria, the Head of the Special Task Force, a special team that saved anything from kittens in trees to the entire world, and a teacher who devoted everything he had ever learned to his students, where only one percent of his classes failed. Don't get me started on all the donations and community projects he's helped complete. His speeches were always a little grandeur, but hardly anyone doubted his word, especially when it seemed he always pulled through when he needed to. Anybody but me. Any true Diviner of the Storm School can tell fact from fiction, truth from lies, and to always have a fair, precise judgement with every fact present even if the theory behind them was vague at best, downright strange at worst. The very air around him seemed dark and still, like a calm before a storm, or a hurricane. The very essence of him seemed to rub me the wrong way, and it wasn't just because his Primary school was Myth. Something never sat well with me, but investigating on nothing but a bad feeling was a downright insult to the School of Storm. I could only guess what was wrong, if anything. I can't even count the number of nights where I stayed up until the crack of dawn trying to figure him out.

I sighed a huff and shook my head. Pointless worrying never helped anyone. My anger over the refusal to help from the others returned as I glanced at the feminine figure dressed in black, the one who had helped the other sisters, walking down the opposite hall with a group of friends. I turned on my heel and stormed out of the room, down the hallway to a smaller room filled with more sleeping bags and people, the scent of beef stew and freshly baked rolls filling my lungs as I came to a sudden halt. If there was one thing that would calm me down, it was good food.

"And then," I groused with a mouthful of beef. "They say no! Seriously, how much of an ingrate can you get? Here I am, saving their lives, and for what? For them to hike it up to some safe zone in the exact opposite direction I want to go while my _own_ family is out there, possibly _dying_ in this mess?"

The Icecat I was talking to merely yawned and continued munching on its kibble.

"Of course it's alright for _those_ two, seeing as they stick together like glue, but honestly I expected more from Kisai, even Nalia. At least they come from worlds where honor and the need to repay a serious debt still lives." I tore hungrily into a roll, tearing off a large chunk and chewing it slowly.

"Please try not to judge them too harshly." a voice whispered in my ear, making me choke on my mouthful of roll and nearly drop my bowl. I staggered to my feet quickly with a gasp and whirled around to see whatsherface, that other silver haired girl with the golden eyes sitting neatly behind my cushion with a bowl of steaming meat in her hand.

"They're scared, and confused. They don't have the same amount of courage as you." she said, blowing on her bowl to cool it down. I couldn't think of anything to say to that, I was still unnerved that someone had been able to sneak up on me like that. "I know they'd like to help, but try to see their side."

I blinked a couple of times. "Wfat mhakes you fhink-" I quickly swallowed my food before sitting on my cushion again. "What makes you think I don't? Who are you anyway?"

"Well, for one thing most our family is pretty much in Wizard City already. My mother, aunt, and uncle are all working at the museum in Olde Town. That gives them a reason to want to whole-heartedly go with Glendemming and the others." she took a dainty bite. "But I can tell they want to help you, especially Amber. I think with some more persuasion, they'll agree to go with you. My name is Diana, Diana Moonsong. Their cousin."

"Hmpf." _I knew that,_ I grumbled, "Just how much more? The group here is leaving in the morning, aren't they?"

"Then I suppose you'll have to find a pretty good reason for them to stick with you instead of Glendemming, won't you?"

My eyes widened in surprise ever so slightly, confusion flickering through them.

"Even if the idea behind it is a little vague…"

"And nothing more than a feeling?" It took all my willpower not to grin. Maybe it wasn't just me after all.

* * *

8:39 pm. Day 1 cont.

"So, which way is your apartment?" Diana inquired as she adjusted her shoulder strap that connected to her small bag.

"Shhhh. Keep it down, the guards aren't gone yet." I hissed at her, brushing a strand of my blue hair behind my ear as I peeked around the corner. Two rabbit guards were exchanging words as they slowly walked past us. We ducked back into the niche we were hiding in, holding our breath until they had turned the corner and left for another part of the Hall. I nodded to her before stealthily sneaking back the way they came, pressing close to the wall until we reached a side door and a couple of windows. I reached out to grab the handle, but Diana quickly grabbed my arm.

"Wait…these might have enchanted alarms placed around them." she whispered, pulling out a silver wrought wand and tapping it lightly. It popped open with a small click, and flooded the hallway with the rays of the setting sun as I quietly pushed it open and stepped outside and into the street.

A portion of the barrier protected the sidewalk and cobblestone road from the dead, but it didn't stop the blood from running down the slope, accompanied by bits of flesh and gut. Eerie, rasping croaks filled the air and blew down on the breeze, sending a faint shiver up my spine as I recognized the stumbling corpses just beyond our safety. The wreckage of the sign lay only a few feet above us, where part of the barrier held it safe behind its wall and left the other half covered in bodies.

"I know a back road that leads to my apartment, it's just behind here." I whispered, pulling out my bow and loading an enchanted arrow. Diana nodded as she readied her weapon, some kind of Mooshian styled spear, and replied, "Lead the way, I'll cover for you. Try not to stop unless it's imperative okay?" I nodded, and approached the force field, to a spot where one of the zombies had pressed up against it, trying to gnaw its way through.

"Geez, you guys are hideous." I groaned as I shot an electrified arrow straight into its forehead. It fell to the ground with a thump, which signaled us to leap out and race up the hill with all the speed we could muster. Shops flew past us as we made our way up the wide sidewalk, me shooting down any undead in our path while Diana took care of the ones approaching from the side.

_Damn, she's good, _I thought, loading another arrow as she lunged forward and elegantly twirled around a zombie that was in her path, spiking it on her spear before tossing it headlong into a building face with hardly a streak of blood on her clothes. The going quickly became more tough as the sun finally sank below the horizon, leaving it to the street lamps to illuminate our way.

"Maybe we should slow down a bit." I gasped as my feet skidded across a slippery patch of blood for the third time, almost sending me careening into a former Wysterian native that was nearby. She quickly leaped off a small stack of boxes and landed just in front of it, ducking down to sweep its feet out from under it before jamming her spear into its head.

"Hey, watch it!" I yelled as someone burst out of a window right in front of me, but he only laughed manically with a load of gold and cash under his arm and bolted down the street.

"I think there's a shortcut near here, past a small courtyard. It leads to another just behind the Headmistress's office." Diana said, stopping just outside a cramped alleyway.

"You think we can make it through there?" I panted as I joined her side, my eyes widening at the sight of more zombies shoved into the small street. A couple of people had become trapped in the narrow space, shrieking as they fell under the weight of the dead piling on them. Some had already died and were keeping them occupied, but I knew instantly from the sight of things that it wouldn't take much to draw their attention away.

She nodded. "Just take your time and keep your eyes open. You ever take Glendemming's Obstacle Course of Horror before?"

"Yeah, except I ended up failing it." I rubbed the back of my head in embarrassment. "Got knocked into the water just near the end."

"The stakes are higher this time, so I don't think this will be a problem for you." she grinned slightly.

I glanced back to see more zombies approaching from the open doorways of the shops next to us, shooting a couple that were leaving the Pet shop with feathers stuck to their faces. We nodded to each other once before springing into the infested alleyway. I leaped over a body sprawled on the ground just before my feet tripped over it, the growing darkness was making it difficult to see. Our only illumination was emanating from my bow and arrows, and from the few black lamps that were determined to stay lit overhead. I dodged around and under grasping arms of a few corpses that tottered towards me, whipping around quickly to bury another arrow in its head. It fell to the ground with a thump.

"Hurry, there's more coming." Diana warned, driving her spear into the chest of a short Pigswick native that had turned, shoving it aside before yanking her weapon out to bash in the skull of another approaching from behind. Another arrow met the head of a body that had reanimated, a witch like me, before the two of us vaulted over a small, overturned dumpster and into the courtyard at last, our feet slapping against the pale cobblestone as Diana paused for only a heartbeat before yanking me down a small sidewalk between two tall apartment buildings. She didn't have to pull me for very long though, the ivy and wisteria flowers covering the buildings were beginning to look more familiar as we burst onto a larger road.

"There it is! That's my building." I called to her as a group of unbitten people raced by, fear oozing from them like a billowing cloud of mist. Diana and I quickly took care of the dead that were following them before bounding up the steps, unlocking the door with a charm, and disappearing into the complex.

Moonlight from the three rising moons filtered through the elegantly wrought windows that were barred with wooden boards. It only took us a minute to scramble over the various pieces of furniture piled against the door. While I dropped to the floor, Diana remained perched on a padded chair as she quickly pulled the door shut, rapping it with her wand to lock the added door locks and bolts that had been installed but never used, leaving us stuck in this dimly lit hallway.

Several of the lamps were flickering fitfully, illuminating doors that had been left ajar and scattered belongings sitting on splatters of blood. I held my bow at the ready as we quietly paced through the halls to the stairwell that led to my floor.

_Last one on the left, _I mouthed to Di, who nodded in understanding before walking backwards several feet to guard the rear. The tip of my sparking arrow was the first thing to enter the room, followed by the rest of the golden shaft and the violet and gold body of the bow I held.

"It's all clear here." I whispered to her as I scanned the combined kitchen and living room, moving quickly to check my bedroom while Diana covered the bathroom. A gasp escaped my lips as I came upon a zombie straddled over a body, chewing the flesh and muscle off the arm of the boy who looked like he had just died a moment before I entered the room. The sound was enough to attract the attention of the corpse, who turned my way with a crick and flesh hanging from its teeth.

A slight sizzle whizzed through my fingers as they released the arrow into its left eye socket; the body fell with a last strangled moan onto the chest of the other as the Necromanceress returned.

"Any more?" She whispered. I shook my head, walking back towards the door that had been left ajar and locked it, drawing the bolt and sliding the door chain into place. It took us longer to move the heady wooden table and several chairs, along with a heavy shelf in front of the door before we could relax.

"Nice place." She remarked as she gazed around, and for the first time I really noticed how wrecked the apartment had become since only this morning. A few pillows were torn and strewn across the living room floor, feathers dancing on the soft, air conditioned breeze, the storm cloud covering in my room rumpled and halfway covering the blood smears on the floor. Glass, bits of trash, and an overturned padded chair littered the part of the living room floor.

"It happened this quickly?" I murmured to myself as I paced through the place, surveying the damage with wide eyes. So far, all the electronics were a little battered and a few covered with drops of red blood, but all were accounted for. My jewelry box had been opened and the various chains and charms rummaged around in, the missing pieces on the woman who I had shot. I didn't bother taking them off her half naked body. Instead, I pulled the purple coverings off my bed with a heavy heart, and stomach, to hide their glassy eyes.

"I hope you won't miss these." Diana said as I walked back into the living room; she was kneeling to a few shattered vases.

"Nah, they were horrible Christmas presents." I replied, smiling a bit. It didn't last long though, as I plopped into a chair to examine some of my favorite novels that I had kept on the fireplace mantle. They only held my attention for so long though, and soon I was riffling through my dresser drawers for the albums I hid among my lingerie. Two old leather books were close to spilling with photos and pages of scrapbookings, gathered over years of adventures and travel. I carried them back to the other room, skirting nervously around the bodies, to stuff them into the backpack I had brought with me. I quickly pushed the first one in, along with a long, silky lavender scarf that had been folded carefully over the fireplace. My hands paused before placing the second album in, one with an intricate design in the shape of a Wind Flower, the flower that had given me my last name, seated in a soft bed of clouds and Storm symbols. I delicately flipped through the pages of our childhood.

"Your family?" Diana quietly asked as she approached with two steaming mugs of tea.

"Yeah." I coughed out, taking a sip of the sweet brew to avoid answering any further. Her golden gaze connected to my tawny one for a second, and I could practically see the cogs whirling in her mind as she considered pressing further. Thankfully, she just nodded slightly and took in the pictures of the happy times we lived as children through; vacationing in Mooshu, learning how to ride a Bengal Tiger at the Olde Town Zoo, throwing mud into my little sister's face, and the four of us posing for a snapshot in front of King Artorius's castle.

"My mom and dad, plus my little sister." I quietly pointed out to a worn photo of us in Hametsu Village, our parents laughing as I locked my sister into a headlock with a stupid big grin at the camera. Diana continued to nod and smile quietly as I revisited old memories, letting me describe them on my own terms on my own time. My lips tugged upwards as my fingertips brushed across my sibling's annoyed face, then to my father's amused one as he wrangled with the two of us. My skin prickled as I sensed a quiet but strong curiosity from her, one that I had endured for the past year as morbid interest peaked and ebbed away.

"Are they…"

"Dead. And I don't know what happened to my sister." I mumbled, closing the book shut gently and closing my eyes to burn the image of the last photo into my corneas. More silence. I sighed quietly before placing it away next to the other one, wrapping them both up in the scarf before zipping the bag shut. I placed my cup on the kitchen counter, reminding myself that there was no need to bother washing the dishes before I gulped quietly and walked to the third room in the house. My fingers wrapped around the dark knob, but paused as I gazed back at the silver haired girl.

"Would you mind staying out here? This room is kinda…private." I mumbled.

"That's fine. I think a cat nap is in order if you don't mind." She replied. I said I didn't, then squeezed into the room.

It was almost like stepping into another world, eerie and quiet. Streaks of rose and lavender adorned the fringe of the walls near the top, fading into a deep, midnight blue wallpaper speckled with stars that actually glowed and winked at me, almost as if they were welcoming me back. A couple of lamps and posters were caked with dust from the months of neglect, as were the picture frames and rumbled bed covers that still hadn't been made. Stuffed animals in various colors were still lined neatly along the top of the bookshelf, where her books had been sorted alphabetically and color coded next to the red window seat hidden behind pale curtains stitched with the various phases of the moon. Clothes and robes littered the floor near her armoire and closet, where a couple of bugs skittered under the door as my wandlight fell upon them. Were it not for the thick layer of dust that had been kicked up by my shoes, I would've thought that it was only yesterday when my own world counted down its last minutes, ticking away silently before everything would crumble to pieces without my knowing. I could almost hear the jeers and twisted cries of jubilation almost drowning out the drone of his speech…

I let out a hufty sigh and shook my head clear, sneezing as dust particles flew about.

"Those days are long gone Emmy. Don't think about them." I muttered angrily to myself. I seated myself on the window seat and peered out from behind the curtains. "Besides, with any luck that bastard will be walking dead by now." Anger continued to bubble inside me, against my will, until it was the only thing I could think about.

_Stupid! That's all over now, why can't I stop thinking about what happened? _I thought to myself, leaping up from the cushioned bench and circling the room once. A sudden flash of realization burst from me as I passed her old ornate jewelry box, the one that had been passed from our grandma before she died. I carefully opened the lid inscribed with a multi-pointed star and lifted the first shelf that held sparkling stones and chains, searching for the one necklace that really mattered. I poked my wandtip through the mess on the bottom, hooking a black choker necklace with a raven's feather attached to the front.

A gasp rang through the room as I heard the familiar jingle of the locket I thought was missing, the gold one in the shape of a seashell. The tangled chain had been entwined through the choker, whether on accident or on purpose I didn't know. The same Wind Flower that was on my own album had been carved delicately on the golden surface of the metal, along with a small inscription in Latin that I've never been able to figure out. It was larger than the average locket due to the content resting on the silken cushion inside. Tears began to splash on the glass protecting the smaller photo of the four of us after I carefully pried it open and onto the small yet perfectly formed golden pearl she had found several years before, along with her own pearl that was now resting just above the black feather.

"Why'd they have to take you?" I whispered to the child in the photo. "Why couldn't they just leave us along? They already took enough from us, it isn't fair they had to steal you!" My voice rose as I cried even harder, collapsing on the ground as my grasp tightened around the feather. Diana must've heard me, for she had wrapped me up in a tight hug and was shushing me.

"Emmaline." She whispered softly. Her faint breath sent sudden shivers down my spine. "I know that what you must be feeling right now is painful, but you need to be quiet. Someone's coming."


	10. Chapter 8

The End

Chapter Eight: Frost Bites

June 6th, 2012

1:15 am, Day 2.

Wind rustled by and blew my hair into knots as the growling engines spurned the motorbikes onward. Cold, dark clouds continued to swirl above the blackened, fiery city as we raced through its streets, between Regent's Square and the Royal Museum, lighting up the silhouette of several buildings from a flash of lightening every now and then. Loud sirens blared from inside the museum, which was guarded by stone-faced policedogs that were shooting anything and anyone that moved. Bullets whizzed several feet over our heads as one of them shot a zombie chasing down a girl younger than me, holding a small bundle in her arms. Several seconds later, the scene was already behind us.

"Can't you drive any slower? Or better?" Logan cried, clinging on for dear life as Izzy swerved out of the way of some beat up cars.

"Why don't _you_ drive then, if you're so smart?" She shot back, swerving sharply again to avoid a small group of Marleybonians. Moans continued to drift across my ears from him as he buried his face into her shoulders as we rode on, turning onto an emptier street with smoke drifting across the cement from a fire several blocks away. I carefully slowed down the bike a little as calm settled upon our area, following behind Izzy and a green faced Logan. She slowed to a gentle stop at a three way intersection coming fast on us, smirking slightly at my sudden and jerky one.

"Well don't look at me like that." I chided. "It's been forever since I've ridden one of these things." She just rolled her eyes slightly before pulling ahead to check the street signs.

"I think all we need to do is head up this street and stay in the middle as much as possible." She reported. "We should be close to Digmoore station by then."

"Hopefully there's an extra airship there." Logan mumbled, gritting his teeth and clamping a hand over his mouth as Izzy pulled ahead suddenly into the road.

_You'll have to wait a little you two, _I thought. _I'm not leaving without my mentor. _My eyes raked over the left side of the street, waiting for an opportunity to make a U-turn straight back to Barker Street. Street lamps, flyaway newspapers, and dark brick buildings flew by quickly, many of the streets resulting in dead ends or in the opposite direction of where I needed to go. My grip loosened slightly on the handles as my mind drifted back to the day where my life became a nightmare, back in the courtroom with the leering, unfriendly faces staring me down. Seeing Bones in such a state made my chest tighten with grief, adding a fresh surge of determination to find him alive.

_I just hope he's still at his home and not work. I'd hate to sneak through Scotland Yard again…we barely got out of there alive…_

The road we were on still remained clear, allowing us to slow down to preserve the gas we had left, and for me to look back on the small row in the courtroom, just behind Bones, where she sat. Sadness, anger, confusion, all of her twisted emotions she had kept bottled up over the trial came pouring out in her tears. As time passed, an unsettling numbness came over her, rising to the surface more and more with each visit to my padded cell until she stopped coming altogether.

"Fallon?" Iz called, turning back to me before her voice practically exploded. "FALLON LOOK OUT!"

Her screech snapped me back to the present, and at first I couldn't see what she was so freaked out about. A second later, I yanked the bike sharply to the left to avoid the fallen body that lay in my path, but it was too late. My knuckles almost split my skin as I jammed the brakes and squeezed my eyes shut, letting out a sharp scream of pain as the motorcycle flipped on its side and skidded to a halt in a patch of blood, leaving long black and red skid marks on the pavement. I carefully blinked open my eyes, wiggling all my fingers and toes to make sure nothing was broken. Thankfully, we hadn't been going that fast, so the only damage was to my shins and arms where long, angry red rashes and dark bruises began to bloom on my skin. Logan and Isabella's cries of concern and alarm shattered the calm of the street as she shot past, coming to a screeching stop and leaping off her own bike as I stumbled to my feet in a hurry.

"Hey, watch it!" She snapped at Logan, who had jumped off at the same time but ended up careening into her because he was off balance. The time it took for her to shove him away gave me the seconds I needed to grab the handlebars, swing back on, and rev up the engine as I glanced wildly around to see was intersection we were on.

_Oh thank goodness! _Excitement burst through me as I read the bronze street sign just above my head, then gazed back at their confused faces before releasing the brakes and making a sharp left turn down the road and into a long alleyway that led to Barker Street.

_Fallon Bailey Star, just what the _hell_ are you doing?! _I almost ended up in another accident as Izzy's shrill voice rang around my ears, surprising loud for whisper chat.

_I'm sorry, but I can't leave yet! I have to find Bones! _I cried back, leaning over the handles and increasing my speed. Twenty, thirty, thirty-five mph, and I was blazing down the lane, impervious to any distractions. Another engine's growling told me Izzy was in hot pursuit, her shouts for me to stop mingling with Logan's cries of annoyance. I steeled myself against their shock and continued on, noticing for the first time the bulky shape that was blocking a part of Barker Street. I slammed on the brakes as I shot into the middle of the street, gazing wildly around in case any dead were walking about. I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw an overturned semi blocking one side of the cobblestone road, trapping two zombies beneath the wreckage of several cars. On the other side stood several police blockades wreathed in barbed wire. The orange glow I had seen earlier was coming from the dying flames of the burning tower nearby, which was steadily being put out by several Iron Golems stationed there by the Fire Department, too busy with their task at hand to notice me blazing in.

My eyes landed finally on the simple elegance of Sherlock Bones' home, on the lit windows and cameo of himself hanging above the dark wood door. My bike propelled itself into the semi's front as I leapt off and stumbled several paces, I was too impatient to care about a bike that wasn't mine. I darted onto the sidewalk and up the stone steps, fumbling for the spare key hidden on top of the doorway as Izzy rolled up.

"What the _hell_ Fallon? We're supposed to be heading for Digmoore, why the heck didn't you go along with the plan?! Now we'll have a better chance of winning the lottery than leaving here alive!"

"Your plan you mean! That's all you cared about isn't it? Are you two so preoccupied with saving your own skins you didn't stop _once_ to think about _my_ needs? My need to find the only person who defended me against all of Marleybone alive?!" I shrieked, tears springing into my eyes against my will as my voice rose. I blinked them away as best I could to keep my voice from rising any higher.

"I know he failed to protect me, and that you've never been able to accept that since I've told you, but I need to do this." I pleaded, then stiffened. "And if you're so deadset on leaving here, you'll have to fight me every inch of the way." My hand tightened around the hilt of my Umbra Blade as I glared directly into her shocked blue eyes.

"Can I just…chime in for…a moment?" Logan panted as he leaned against the wall of the house, breathing hard.

"First off: _I_ drive from now on. Second: I think we should just go in and see what the fuss is about." He said, then added before either of us could interrupt. "It's obvious that she's not going to settle down until she finds Bones. Do you really want to be hounded by a defiant, loud, stuck up little-"

"OK I GET IT!" Izzy and I shouted at the same time, then she turned to me.

"Fine. We'll see what we can do for him. But if he's not here or anywhere else nearby, that's it. We're heading straight for the nearest airship."

I nodded, my hand still on the hilt. I didn't know whether to start believing her right away yet or not. My other hand found the key I was looking for and jammed it into the lock. Surprisingly, the door fell open without the need for it, as if someone had burst in then closed it behind them.

The inside was brightly lit, the small wall lamps shining merrily on the red and green arboreal wallpaper as if they had been on all day. The sparse furniture that was scattered around the room was still in its place, although the small endtable next to his favorite red chair had been knocked over and spilled wine over the cream and patterned rug on the floor. His desk was as cluttered as ever, and through the other door the kitchen was smoking slightly as something cooking in a pot began to burn.

"Try to keep it down, something might be up there." Logan shushed as he darted forward to turn the stove off, opening a small window to let the smoke out. My breathing increased as I unsheathed my Blade as quietly as I could, ducking under a fallen chair that obscured the stairs before looking wildly around as I ascended to the second floor. My old room lay to the right, the only one on that side except for a small closet. The tiled bathroom was in front of me, with a small guest room and Bones' own room. The door was slightly ajar, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up as a rattling moan drifted through.

"Bones? Are you here?" I called out nervously, feeling as if I had just swallowed a dozen long, wriggly worms.

The top of the stairs creaked a little as I stepped onto the landing, checking the guest room only to find it empty.

"Well go on! It was your idea." Logan hissed up at me, ignoring Izzy's annoyed look. I glared at him one last time before cautiously walking to his room and nudging the door open with the tip of my sword. Pitch black. I gulped, legs shaking, and entered the room, my sword guiding me as it lit up the space partially with its purple light.

Right when I walked past the door, something clamped onto my leg, making me jump out of my skin with a frightful gasp. A wheezy croak filled the room quickly, so I yanked myself away and raised my blade, ready to strike. But it wasn't a zombie. My face contorted from surprise to horror at the mess I saw on the floor, blood and guts surrounding the bulldog Watson as he lay bleeding to death from an unnaturally large hole in his abdomen.

Another raspy croak came from his throat as he reached towards me with his short arm. I couldn't help but kneel next to him in the pool of blood to hear what he was trying to say.

"R-run…he…" was all I could make out. He coughed, and blood dripped from the side of his mouth. His own brown and white wrinkly face must've reflected the horror in mine, because more gurgly sounds came from his throat, but it must've been too ravaged. The desperate look in his eyes eventually glassed over, reflecting a tall figure just behind me.

"Don't even start Logan, I don't want to hear it." I choked out. No answer. I slowly turned around- and let out an ear-splitting, blood-curdling shriek that actually cracked my voice. My feet skidded and slipped in the wide red puddle as I frantically drove myself backwards after I fell, over the bed and into the small space between it and the wall as what was left of Marleybone's greatest detective lurched towards me. Izzy and Logan had shot up the stairs in an instant, giving Iz the opportunity to pull out her gun while Logan darted under his swaying arm to reach me and pull me farther away. I flinched into his shoulder as two shots rang through the room, the bullets burying themselves into the wall behind me as they left a trail of blood spatter on the covers.

My numb feet were unwilling to uproot me from my spot, but Logan had already half carried, half pulled me down the stairs, through the kitchen, and back in the small living room to seat me in the red, overstuffed chair.

"Don't think about that, don't think about that for one minute you hear?" He shushed me, kneeling next to the arm and patting my shoulder hesitantly like before, when he didn't know how to comfort me. "Fallon? Don't do this again, geez." He grew more exasperated, more worried, as the silence stretched on, even resorting to shaking me to try to get a response. But I couldn't move, couldn't talk. I could barely blink or breathe. A freezing, biting chill had settled through me like liquid ice, freezing every muscle and bone except my pounding heart. I felt that if I moved, my bones would splinter and I would fall apart. Izzy tried almost everything short of giving me a zap to wake me up, but I couldn't, I _wouldn't_ move. Better to be frozen alive than to rage, scream, tear out my hair in a screaming, writhing rage before doing something reckless to end my suffering. I didn't trust myself not to do exactly that. Finally, after awhile, when dawn was breaking, he just sighed heavily and took off my scratched, messy boots and sword before carrying me to the small settee in the corner to rest, this time sitting on the floor right near my head and rubbing the bridge of his nose. My ears seemed to work just fine, and as much as I hated it, I could hear his grousing over my reaction- or lack of one.

"Should we just leave her like this?" He asked.

"Do you want her to hurt herself?" Isabella sniffed, leaning her face in her hands as she sat at the cluttered desk. "Just keep an eye on her while I check the rest of the house. There might be a way for the dead to get in, if they haven't already."

"Hey, do you think you could do something about…" His voice trailed off. She nodded, then stumbled into the kitchen and up the stairs, leaving Logan to lean against the arm of the settee.

Seconds seemed to drag out until they were their own centuries, minutes turning into their own separate eternities. He tried making conversation every now and then while muted thumps sounded from upstairs, but the somber mood prevailed. Feeble dawn light was filtering in through the silver-blue curtains when Izzy finally came back downstairs to jolt His Sleepiness awake and hand him something small and round.

"There's no exits or anything back there, so nothing could've gotten in that way…I _did_ see another dead…er zombie upstairs in the guest room, so I guess everything happened because of that." She reported, "But I still don't get how it got in here in the first place…the door was kicked in before someone closed it, a zombie couldn't do that. It'd have been broken down completely."

"Can you do us a favor," Logan yawned, "and let us sleep? I'm exhausted. Save the Dateline mysteries for later."

She heaved a sigh and plopped down onto the left windowseat since there were no other couches, pulling the shutter down first to shield us from the outside.

"I've left a few enchantments on the doors and windows, so we should be good for now." She mumbled before pulling the curtains shut.

More time eventually passed as the light grew stronger and more yellow, steam rising from the streets outside from the sudden warmth after the rain. As exhausted as he must've been, he stayed up a moment longer to look at the thing Izzy had handed him.

"Wow…where'd you get this?" He asked. No answer.

"I mean, you hardly ever see these things…they're pretty rare. Who got it for you?" Slowly, painfully, I lifted my head a fraction of an inch to whisper it in his ear.

"Well that's…nice. She still around?" He leaned his head in closer as my lips formed words I could barely whisper.

"So now you want to head there huh? At least it's on the way…I'll tell you where we can go later, I'd really like to hit the sack." Logan yawned, and in a surprisingly and sudden tender move, clasped the thing around my neck and laying it down on the cushion so I wouldn't sleep on it before sitting back down again.

"We'll make sure we get your go-ahead before we run off anywhere next time."

* * *

Farther away from our corner of Marleybone, near the other side of the city, lay one of the most largest, lavish, heavily secured castle in the Spiral: Barkingham Palace. Of course it had been placed on lockdown the instant the first wave of undead had passed but despite the fact that not a single zombie penetrated its iron defenses, chaos ruled. Marleybonian people darted through the hallways in a state of confusion, younger princes and princesses of the Queen were locked away to safety while their older brothers and sisters defended the front lines inside the massive courtyard, their cries of fear falling on deaf ears as soldiers, maids, and the like were all asking the same question: where was the Queen?

Little did any of our group know that even as we argued on that doorstep earlier and spat over our decision as we entered the house, the balance of power that had governed Marleybone for so long was finally falling, shifting into the bloody hands of one of the world's most infamous and deadly villains.

"Please try to be reasonable, Your Majesty, you'll never come across a more beneficial offer as mine."

In Barkingham's highest tower, hidden away from prying eyes, in the perfect place to see but not be seen, stood two figures silhouetted against the dim the light from the dim fireplace. One was a servant dressed in black coattails, a dark haired human, preparing tea and several snacks for his master sitting in the high backed chair facing the large bay windows. The other was the Queen herself. Her short profile was nothing compared to the rage coursing through her, many who were unfortunate enough to experience it described her fierceness more than comparable to that of an angry she wolf of Grizzleheim protecting her young.

"And just how," She snarled, "is letting you take over my palace, my throne, and my country 'beneficial' for the both of us?" She was addressed the sitting feline figure. His amused expression was hidden in shadow.

"It's so simple, I'm surprised I have to explain it to you again." He gently swirled the last dregs of tea before holding it out for his servant to fill. "All I am asking for is the authority to command the Special Forces and all their subunits, in exchange for extra security around your palace-and all those in it. Of course they'll be needing someplace to stay, so I hope I'm not overstepping my boundaries asking for that. I don't see how that's equivalent to taking over your throne."

"Don't play coy with me! I was an expert at reading between the lines of politicians when you were a newborn kit mewling for milk!" If she was intending to insult the feline, it didn't work. Instead, his grin only widened.

"Of course, forgive my impudence I didn't mean to insult your intelligence." He bowed his head slightly. "However, I hope you can accept my word when I saw there are no lines to read between. The time of speaking like a snake-tongued, two faced politician is long over."

"Everybody from the oldest Labrador down to the newest Pug knows your name, and the things you do. How can be sure you won't stab in the back the first change you get? It's not like you're new to it."

"The Queen of Marleybone will always be of use to me." He blew gently on his tea to cool it as he raised it to his lips, glancing at her sideways. "Pity I can't say the same for your nieces."

The blood drained out of her face. "W-w-what do you mean?"

"They're quite sickly aren't they? So much so they have to have their own special hospital. It's one of the most secured places in your castle, true, but I shudder to imagine what would happen if we lost the power plant to the dead."

Silence now reigned over the room, only broken by the flickers and pops of the low burning fireplace, where his servant stood stock-still while raking his smoky blue eyes over the two, and the heavy breathing of Her Majesty.

The familiar feel of victory coursed through his veins. "Mr. Frostflame, will you please escort our Queen to the conference room? She'll need to inform her military personnel about the new changes."

The servant named Frostflame bowed deeply and said "Of course sir." before seeing the defeated Queen out of the tower.

The feline figure turned back to the large windows, absentmindedly stirring a sugar cube into the dark liquid of his fine china teacup, lost in thought. He jumped slightly as a sudden ring from the old fashioned telephone rang shrilly.

"Report." was all he said.

"Quadrants E through F4 have been secured sir." Came the ringing accent of Pops O'Leary. "The Ironworks remains safe and productive of ammunition, same with the hospitals, gun stores, and factories you specified sir."

"Good. Make sure that-"

"I really _do_ hate to interrupt sir, but there is one problem sir." Pops cringed, even over the line.

"Very well, what is it?" The other feline sighed.

"Well, there's been a minor disturbance at two of the places you asked us to keep an eye on. The importan' ones."

"Which ones, you buffoon?" He became more alert at once, a sneaking suspicion already crawling from the depths of his mind.

He set his cup down a little two forcefully as he heard the addresses, spilling tea onto the saucer.

"Whatcha want us to do abou' it sir?" Another voice chimed in.

The shadowed figure rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his mind buzzing with all the possibilities of who it could be.

_Burglars, the undead, a stray police dog? _He thought. _No, something feels different…_

"What do these intruders look like? Are they alive?" He demanded.

"Yes sir, both are plenty alive with the racket they were making. Shootin' the dead down and whatnot. Our post dragon should be arriving any secon' now."

Even as he spoke, his servant had quietly entered the room with a yellow package in hand, and promptly gave it to him before wiping the small mess with a handkerchief.

_Well, well…this is a pleasant surprise. _One of his eyebrows raised slightly as he gazed at the intruders in the pictures. Their faces weren't exactly familiar, especially with so many, but he never forgot about anything about a person once he studied them closely. Neither, apparently, did his servant, for he let out a horrified gasp as he recognized one of the pictures with the rowdy group raiding the root beer in a pub with much gusto.

"Bad blood?" He asked casually, and Frostflame nodded.

"With your permission sir, I'll head out there immediately and eradicate every single one of them." His eyes burned with rage as he stared at the laughing figure.

"Except I don't give my permission." He replied sharply. "You're to stay here to keep an eye on the operation." He turned his head slightly to glare at him, showing that he meant business. Frostflame sighed and bowed slightly, though his blue eyes were still angry and his white gloved hands were curled into tight fists at his sides.

"But if I may ask…why?"

"I have no concern over their fate. They're nothing more than insects waiting to be squashed." The feline turned back to the city set ablaze, just as the heavens opened up, as if they were lamenting the loss of so many in the most technological advanced world in all the Spiral.

_No, no heaven would weep over the loss of this dreadful, dog hearted Marleybone. Tears of savage justice will put out the fires, and Marleybone will rise again greater than when these oafish mutts ruled. _

His evil grin widened as he took a sip of the sweet brew.

_It's a cat's world now…_


	11. Chapter 9

The End

Chapter Nine: At the Crossroads

June 6th, 2012.

11:08 am, Day 2. Emmaline's PoV.

"I still can't believe we're doing this." Jazz grumbled as she poked her head around the corner, checking that the coast remained clear.

"I too am having difficulty accepting this." Kisai agreed, crossing his arms in a surly manner.

"I know what I saw you guys, I told you about it last night." I snapped as I leaned forward on my toes to inspect the top of the doorway. "This is no good. They must've fixed this part of the barrier this morning." I sighed as I spotted the faint golden glow around the doorframe.

"Can we go back now? They're getting ready to leave soon." Jazz grumbled again.

"No! I know they left her there, you can see it for yourself. Benedict Glendemming is a sick, sadistic killer and anyone who goes with him is in trouble!" I insisted, my stomach roiling at the thought of last night; the raids, the jeers and catcalls, the concerned face of the one person in that group who saved out lives last night as we lay hidden under her bed, shaking like mad as Diana struggled to keep me quiet…

I shook my head angrily to rid myself of these thoughts and paced up and down the hallway, chewing on my thumbnail in thought. I turned to Amber as she kneeled next to a nearby air vent with Nalia by her side.

"Think we could fit through here?" I asked as I bent down slightly to check it out.

"Nah, too small, even with Luna." An annoyed _mrrow! _came from Amber's backpack as it squirmed a little. "Plus there's a fan back there."

"Oh well, guess there's no way out through here. We might as well head back and start packing." Jazz said in a relieved tone, marching back to the trophy room.

"WAIT!" I shouted suddenly, grabbing her by the collar as I turned my gaze upward. A draft of a fresh breeze drew my attention to the second floor above. Jazz struggled a bit, then sighed in a defeated manner, but followed me and her sister as we darted up the stairs. I carefully stuck my head out the window to check the surroundings, withdrawing just as quickly and shushing the others' questions; one of the human guards had just barely disappeared around the corner, attached to a safety line as he shot golden sparks into the air, refreshing the barrier anew. Once he had gone, Nalia stuck her head out with mine to survey the area, a sloping, tiled roof partially covered in ivy. Connected by red and gold patterned party banners were the domed, sienna brown roofs of the Tournament Halls towers, topped with delicate spires. Bright afternoon sunlight glinted off the golden armor of the guards as they patrolled the inside perimeter of the magical barrier, pausing every now and then to stab their weapons through the eye socket or forehead of a wandering zombie that pressed too close.

I let out a small gasp as a hand suddenly shoved me down past the windowsill, narrowly missing my nose.

"Ow! What was that for?" I growled to Nalia, who was leaning back from the window.

"One of the rabbit guards looked up here, you know they have excellent hearing." She apologized, then glanced around our small party. "Why don't a few of us stay behind while the others go with Emmaline and Diana? We'll need some people to cover for us."

"Kisai and I can stay." Jazz immediately piped up.

"No, I'll go." He said. "We were the most skeptical, so it has to be one of us. Nalia can stay, I hear she's _quite_ good at making up excuses." Kisai shot her a knowing look.

"What, me? Never!" With her snow white furred round face and large, liquid blue eyes, we couldn't help but laugh a little at her feigned innocence.

"Okay, let's go. Diana said she'd meet us down there." I pointed to an empty hallway open to the elements of wind and rain.

"Hurry, they're about to come back from the mission!" Jazz called to us as quietly as she could as I swung myself down to the roof, eyeing the rope that shivered just underneath the sill. One wrong move and everybody would know we were sneaking out. Amber quickly jumped out beside me, landing catlike on her feet and moving out of the way for a surprisingly agile Kisai to come through. I quickly gained my bearings, shielding my eyes against the sun while I spotted the area we left last night, between two blocks full of buildings crammed side to side together. The three of us stepped carefully around the tilted surface, then burst almost full speed once we had reached the flatter parts of the roof. Finally, we had reached the long, open hallway we needed to get to and paused on the roof, panting a little, and crouching down to take a look inside.

The unguarded hallway with wide, open window arches lay below us, an easy access route to the outside world. Banners bearing the Royal Seal hung every few feet from the pipes that snaked their way under the building's tiles; with such a steep drop, they looked like the only way in since the banister holding up the arches was set too far back. Kisai seemed to have the same thoughts.

"Guess there's only one way down." He muttered under his breath, then leaped off the roof, swinging himself down with only one hand still attached to the roof before grabbing onto the red and white silk banner and sliding down its length before somersaulting into the stone hallway.

"Do you know how to do that?" I turned to Amber, her stunned face reflecting my own reaction. She shook her head.

"Hurry up!" Kisai called, fingering the hilt of his katana as he glanced anxiously around. The two of us took a deep breath and leaned over the edge, grasping the banner and leaping down, with a shriek from Amber along the way, and carefully shimmied down, ungracefully I might add, to the windows.

"Land!" Amber gasped, falling to the ground in a heap. Both our eyes rolled as Kisai and I barely resisted the urge to laugh, but the light moment didn't last long. She stumbled to her feet and brushed back her white hair while we hurried down the hallway and down the steps.

In front of us lay a high stone fence, topped with metal bars encased with barbed wire. A back road and many entrances of alleys stretched parallel with the side of the Tournament Hall, and all around us, the eerie death moans from the undead stumbling between the buildings, occasionally accompanied by a shrill scream or shot blast as they converged onto the poor victim. Farther down the fence, two figures were waiting anxiously next to the building, one rather short and the other tall. The three of us quickly gazed around for guards or other wizards before running as fast as we could to their sheltered niche behind one of the dumpsters.

"Diana, hey." I greeted her. She only nodded in return.

"Bleh, of course you just _had_ to pick a spot behind here." Amber groaned as a positively disgusting smell washed over us.

"Who's this?" Kisai asked, one of his hands twitching as if he wanted to grasp his sword.

"This is Bleys Flamerender, he was in some of my classes this year as well as the team I was traveling with." Diana introduced us, but Bleys only gave us a quick, curt nod before turning back to his small, dark tan text chatter in his hand.

"Umm…is this really the time to be chatting?" I asked as Diana inspected the only door in the fence.

"I'm not _chatting_, I'm trying to get this forensic app up so I can study the site we're going to. That's why I'm coming along." He snapped in reply as Diana unsheathed her sword she'd traded in for her spear. Kisai followed suit. My skin prickled slightly at that.

"Why, our word not good enough for you?"

"Shhhh! You're drawing attention." Kisai whispered as we filed through into the nearest alley. Two of the dead nearby had turned their rotting heads in our direction and began to stumble our way, their gray, half-eaten arms outstretched. Quick as a flash, I snatched my bow out of Amber's backpack and loaded two shining arrows at once, firing them both straight between their eyes while Diana led the rest of the group down the path we had taken last night.

"Wait!" I panted as we came to a halt near the narrow corridor Diana and I raced through. They paused and turned back to me.

"Let's find another way around, that route is pretty difficult…"

"There's another road down that way that connects to the courtyard." Bleys said, swiping his text chatter's screen a couple of times before stowing it in his pocket.

"Down Twisted Road? I know how to get there now…" Kisai murmured to himself as Diana darted forward to take down the few zombies that were in the right-hand alleyway we needed. A golden arrow whizzed by her ear and landed straight in the eye socket of a dead wizard who had approached her from behind.

Twenty minutes later, the five of us almost spilled into the courtyard filled with bodies that had been left behind after this blood rally. We just barely managed to skid to a stop and press against the graffitied walls before we drew any attention to ourselves.

"This is it. This is where it happened." I whispered to everyone, despite the amount of obvious and overwhelming evidence in the fallen bodies that tripped up the moving ones. The scene was almost identical to the one last night, where plenty of living people had rallied under his booming voice to hear the new decree Glendemming was supposedly implementing.

Why couldn't he just do what he said and rescue them? I grit my teeth and closed my eyes against the gore, but my memories quickly filled the void of what happened that terrible night.

"Oh no…" Amber shuddered, breaking me out of my memory. Kisai and Nalia followed her mortified gaze to the lone huddle in the middle of the courtyard. Blood had long sunk into the gray and cream stone, hunks of flesh strewn about drawing the attention of a cloud of flies, who now coated parts of her half-eaten body. Her normally elegant blackish-blue hair had come out if its usually neat bun, her blue eyes frozen wide open and her face forever frozen in an expression of utmost terror and pain. Nalia stumbled back and slid down the wall as the realization began to sink in at last.

"Headmistress Crisp." Kisai moaned. Amber hid her face in her hands while Bleys, who seemed to be trying to hide his own terror, pulled out his chatter and turned it into a scanner of sorts that reached her even from this far away.

"Where did you say you saw Glendemming?" Bleys asked quietly, tapping his chatter a few more times.

"On that balcony up there." Diana replied, pointing to the large white porch on the back of the Headmistress's Office.

"Any way we can get up there?" Amber asked.

"I don't think so. I can see something moving from behind the curtain. I'd rather not face more zombies right now." Bleys said, for once turning a faint shade of green.

_What's _he _complaining about? I don't remember _him_ picking up a gun and start shooting dead bodies before. _I shot a look towards Amber. She rolled her eyes and shrugged.

"Still…given the ah…evidence, I do think that what Emmaline and Diana said is true." He continued, a worried look crossing his face.

"Glendemming truly is a cold-blooded killer." A new, slightly lyrical voice sounded from behind us, but something seemed off even as the words reached my experienced ears. I quickly whirled around, arrow at the ready, but nobody new was around. Instantly, my head snapped up like before, seeing him perched on a fire escape above, that same, annoying smile on his face as if he were talking of nothing more important than today's weather.

"Faolan." I growled. "What do you want this time?"

The sight of his mocking face sent a jolt through me; it hadn't been that long since he had to rescue us and hid us among the throng of wizards eagerly awaiting Glendemming's words…

_ "Shhhh." Diana whispered, clamping a hand over my mouth as the people who broke into the living room clomped their way into the room we were hiding in, talking back and forth as if they were annoyed at each other. _

"_I told you there'd be nothing here. This place has already been cleared out." came the irritated sigh of Faolan._

"_Orders are orders Faoly. Besides, any good thief knows that there's always something left behind." replied the other voice. From the sound of his accent, he sounded a lot like one of the rabbit guards that were supposedly rescuing the Headmistress. My pulse quickened for a moment in hope as I finally heard a name, but it was a fleeting moment. I didn't know any guy by that name, as much as it sounded familiar…_

"_I told you, it's _Faolan_, not Faoly." He sighed again, and by now we could see his dark brown leather boots walk past the doorway as he surveyed the hallway, poking his head in each room. _

"_Hey, you think anyone was in here earlier?" the other voice called, causing my heart to actually skip a beat as I remembered the fresh pot of tea Diana made as well as the arrow in the socket of the body in my room. I quickly glanced to her lying on her stomach next to me, her face looked taut and a bead of sweat trickled down her forehead. _

"_No, why?" Faolan said as he poked his head into our room. _

"_Nothing, nothing…" The two of us let out a quiet sigh as he let it go. Big mistake. The wizard named Faolan, a Pyromancer by the looks of his deep red robes, must've heard us for he approached the bed and was about to kneel down to check what was under it. Carefully, ever so carefully, I shifted by arm back to my boot where a knife was hidden inside it; if I had to, I'd fight my way out. _

"_Hey Soulforge! Get a load of this!" The guard laughed raucously, drawing the Pyromancer's attention back to the living room. To our immense relief, he straightened up and headed back to the other room, where their muffled voices mingled together before clomps could be heard exiting the apartment. _

"_Wait." Diana held my arm just as I was about to crawl out from under the bed. "They might come back." _

_Silence. _

"_All right, let's head back. It's too dangerous here, there might be more robbers coming." She said, dragging herself out and dusting the front of her black robes off. _

"_Do you hear something?" I asked her as I straightened out my dark purple sleeve. _

"_I think so." She replied, making her way back to the living room, where it was a lot messier than before. I didn't have much time to get angry over the fact that my home had been ransacked again, the sound akin to that of a lot of cars revving up was more important. The two of us scooched over to the stone fire escape outside the sliding door. The bottom gate had been properly locked and sealed with a spell, but the only thing keeping several undead from crawling down to our level was a large blockage of wooden chairs, a desk, and a couple of dresser drawers tied and taped together. After checking the landing and stairs were clear, Diana and I leaned a little over the edge, were we could hear the cries of shock and anger as the crowd was forced to gather, where, after a terrifying slide down a clothesline, we watched as the Headmistress was slaughtered in cold blood, eaten alive by a single zombie with two people holding it back by the chains around its neck. _

"_You shouldn't be here." His softly accented voice startled me as Faolan whispered in my ear, too close to my cheek for my liking. "If you leave now, you can get back before they will. They won't notice you've been gone." _

"_That sounds like a good idea." Diana whispered back, tugging me back by the arm. My feet could barely move with her as we found an empty alleyway, my body was shaking all over with rage; a deep anger that filled me with malice to fight against the Duelmaster, not just to maim to make him pay for what he had done, but to _kill_, to torture, a deeply disturbing feeling I hadn't felt since the last of the Dark Days of Mooshu…_

"Blunt as ever." He replied serenely, breaking me out of my memory. "I merely thought I'd offer my assistance again."

"What makes you think we need _your_ help?" I hissed at him before anyone could open their mouths.

"Keep it down!" Kisai hurriedly whispered back, motioning for us to move farther down the alley. I could barely keep my voice down to a whisper as I glared up at him again.

"Do you know anything?" Amber asked quietly. "Why would Glendemming want to do this?"

"Trust me, I know a lot about the noble Duelmaster you never thought of." Faolan replied, his expression becoming a little more serious and sinister as he narrowed his light amber eyes. "And let me tell you, if you knew the things I know, you'd know his new reign of terror is only beginning."

"Well, we don't, so spill already!" I spat.

"All right, all right." He said, swinging down from the balcony and landing like a spring. "But on one condition."

"What is it?" Diana asked, a pit of dread filling my stomach before he even opened his mouth. It couldn't be good.

"Wherever you're going," He smirked. "I want in."

Fallon's PoV

June 6th, 8:13 am. Day 2.

The patter of rain hitting against the window as the golden sunlight filtered through the only unblocked window in the living room slowly softened as the sun rose in the sky, slanting across my eyes and making me squint as the rain began to lull me into a state of drowsiness. Isabella's quiet breathing was barely audible over the combined sound of the rain and Logan's grumbling over how I was keeping him from a good nap.

"Man, this stinks." He mumbled, peeling off his gloves and jacket to turn it into a makeshift pillow. He leaned back against the arm of the couch and rubbed his eyes in a bleary manner.

"Wake me up if we get eaten." Logan yawned, crossing his arms as he nodded off to sleep. I didn't reply, merely closing my eyes to drift away. The bright red backs of my eyelids slowly darkened as time passed slowly by. Every tense muscle in my body seemed to sag as the house warmed up. Every sound and smell seemed to fade away into nothingness, startling me moments later for no apparent reason. I let out a sudden gasp, confused as to why I just snapped up, and glanced around nervously for a sign of a break-in or a dead body forcing its way in. Shadows began to fill the room as raindrops dripped serenely outside, as if the rare sun rain was over in a split second. I couldn't see where Logan had gone off to either, until I realized he left his jacket where my head was laying as clinks came from the kitchen, along with the bongs of the old, ugly grandfather clock upstairs.

_One o'clock. How in the world is it one o'clock already? _I mused to myself as I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes.

"You awake Fallon?" Logan called softly. I didn't answer, merely nestling into the couch again and turning over to burrow inside my blanket. I was beginning to remember why my chest was beginning to burn, as much as I wished it was all a bad dream and that they'd be there, complaining how Scotland Yard was taking too long to send their paperwork or how bad traffic was that day. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to fall back asleep into peaceful oblivion; I was certainly tired enough. Cinder blocks seemed to be melded to my arms and legs, dragging them down with a weariness I had never felt before.

Even though I was dead tired, a faint tickle fluttered in the back of my throat, a tickle that grew to a scratching, then a burning dryness that quickly morphed into a heavy thirst. But I was determined to ignore it, focusing on Izzy's groans as she tumbled out of the windowseat at last and stretched out her cramped limbs.

"Oww…that's the last time I sleep there." She moaned. "Logan? What are you doing in there?" A delicious smell wafted throughout the room.

"I'm hungry!" He called back.

"Geez, you idiot! Close that window, do you want to draw every rat in the city here?" Izzy darted into the kitchen and snapped the glass pane shut.

"How is she?" I heard her whisper a few minutes later.

"Don't know. I haven't heard a peep from her since last night." He replied thickly, his mouth full of something that smelled like eggs.

"Well, I guess she must be- wait she talked to _you?_"I could imagine the incredulous look on her face as she spoke.

"Yeah, didn't talk much though. Something about wanting to go to another world…" I willed myself to turn off my hearing as the two of them walked back into the living room.

"Ahh…I see now." Izzy said quietly.

"Hey, Fallon?" Logan asked tentatively, poking me in the shoulder. "If you're awake, I made breakfast for everyone."

I didn't move. He continued to poke me for another minute. "Hey, come on, I put a lot of effort into this!" His pokes became more insistent, so much so it seemed like such a good idea to give him my five-fingered poke back - only harder.

"Grrr, if you don't wake up I'll sit on you!"

"Don't you dare!" Izzy snapped, and from the sound of Logan struggling, it sounded like she was dragging him back the ear. Their arguing faded again as I focused on the steady little ticking from the tiny clock on the chain around my neck, a little "locketwatch" I had dubbed it. The sound soothed me, like it had so many times before when I needed it.

The cold, welcome drowsiness fell over me again as the ticking wore on, but the thirst that clawed at my throat insisted on dominating my attention. As much as I curled up into my blanket, and his jacket, it wouldn't go away.

"Go away Sandy." My voice was barely audible above a whisper as the brown and white Desert beast jumped out of my backpack and onto my side, chirruping and kneading with her brown front paws in my softest spot.

"Oww!" I shooed her away as she dug her teeth into my ear.

"You okay?" Izzy and Logan asked at the same time, popping their heads out from the kitchen.

I nodded. "Fine." I let out a small sigh and got up to get a glass, keeping my eyes down to avoid their gaze as I filled a cup up with ice and water from the kitchen sink. I had already downed half of it before Logan offered a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon on toast.

"Thanks." was all I could manage as I took the sandwich back on the living room to munch on it.

"Hey…listen Fallon." Izzy began as she sat next to me. "We know things didn't turn out the way we uh, planned, but…well, I was thinking it would be a good idea to stay here for a few more days." I nodded, glad that my mouth was full to avoid questions. "I know you'd like to put Bones to rest-"I flinched at that, the eggs suddenly too dry and crumbly on my tongue. "-but there's no way we can transport him safely anywhere. Not to mention we have to find a car, supplies, water…we barely have enough as it is."

"Yeah, I know you need to do that stuff." I replied shortly. "_I read the Necromancer's Guide to Zombie Survival._"

"Hey, you did? Cool, did you ever read the sequel, _Zombie Survival For Dummies?" _Logan chuckled slightly, but instantly became more solemn with a silencing glare from Isabella.

"So…we thought it'd be a good idea to shore up defenses around here for a few days or so to build up supplies and such. I know you wanted to go somewhere else right away, but until we can get an airship or an aircar, we're pretty much stuck with no real plan in mind, something else in shortage around here. There's plenty of ways we can build up barricades and such while we scout out Digmoore and build up an idea of what we're doing."

"Well then…you might wanna do something about those." I pointed blandly to the gray faces that were pressed against the window. The two of them leaped to their feet with cries of shock and mingled cursing, hastily grabbing weapons that were scattered around the room.

"Dammit Logan, you're starting to rub off on me!" Izzy yelled as she fumbled for bullets while trying to load up a rifle. She leaned against the wall on the other window to peek through the shutter.

"I'll take that as a compliment." He huffed. "How many?"

"Not a fifty strong crowd or anything crazy, but there's still plenty." She reported, cocking her rifle. "I think we forgot to block off the entrance to the alley we came in."

"_Craaaap_. Are they blocking the door?"

"Just a few so far. Think you can go charging in while I cover you?"

"I _know_ I can." He said, unsheathing a rather short sword, or a very long knife, from his belt in one hand and packing a revolver in the other.

"Fallon, wait here okay? We don't need you to do anything just yet." Izzy nodded to me. "When I call for you, come outside and start up this red and black car on the other sidewalk out there, next to the broken lamppost. We need something to block off the alley."

"Just leave the shooting to us." Logan added to my immense relief, the shadow of his goofy grin on his face. Right now I didn't feel like I could ever pick up a sword or gun ever again. Seeing my former mentor in the state he was in seemed to have drained all the fight out of me.

"You ready?"

Isabella nodded as she shifted her rifle to one hand while the other held the doorknob.

"Say, why don't me make this a contest?" Logan suddenly piped up. "First one to get ten down gets the easy jobs for the rest of the day."

As if my exhausted mind couldn't take any more surprises, Izzy allowed her devilish grin to cross her face. "Let's do it."


End file.
